


Valkyrie Rising

by ClaraKeanen



Series: The MCDCEU (But of Fanfic) [1]
Category: DCU, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Angst and Humor, Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, F/F, F/M, Feels, Friendship, Love, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Post-Killing Joke, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-06
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-01-30 03:37:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 32
Words: 117,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12645348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClaraKeanen/pseuds/ClaraKeanen
Summary: Here's the thing: When you throw yourself on top of an alien byproduct that you've been told is going to explode, you can assume that's going to happen. It's what happens after, that no one can prepare you for.Especially when the alien byproduct you've thrown yourself on top of is actually some kind of infinitely powerful stone from another universe that no one has ever been able to control until now, and that stone has some kind of sentient component because it has decided that you're fit to wield it's power. And, since this power is so volatile and not of your universe, you have to relocate realms and leave everyone you've ever known behind, believing that you're dead.Yep. Not even Bruce Wayne could prepare you for something like that.





	1. Author's Note

BABES IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING. After I think a year-long hiatus from publishing, I'm throwing myself back in the game. I've been spending the last year or so working on the details of my magnum opus crack fic to end all crack fics, "Strange Magic". I'll begin posting it hopefully sometime within the next few weeks, and it's going to be the crossover series to end all other crossover series because damn, it's a lot, but I love it and I'm really excited about the story and the heroine and I really think y'all are going to love it. THAT BEING SAID, I've been in love with the newest iteration of Barbara Gordon as Batgirl in the Batgirl of Burnside comic series, and I was thinking awhile back on how I really just want a Marvel/DC crossover. And bing bang boom, "Valkyrie Rising" was born.

The more time I've spent with Barbara and these characters, the more I've fallen in love with the idea of them working together. And I love a good Tony Stark/Steve Rogers as much if not more as the next person, but something about Barbara and Steve feels right. And something about Barbara being best friends with Peter Parker and Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis and Sif and all the other badass ladies from Marvel also feels right. And having all those ladies eventually fight on the same team with all the other DC ladies also feels right - but that's not going to happen until part two.

ANYWAYS, I'm really excited to start sharing this story with you. Comments and feedback are always welcome, as are pairing suggestions. (In case you couldn't tell from the tags, I love strange ships, and will basically ship almost anyone with anyone else, but such is the fandom life.)

Buckle up, everyone. It's about to get fun.


	2. Exes and Oh's

_Wayne Tech Enterprises AI manufacturing system online. System operations: 120 petabytes/sec. Project A.L.F.R.E.D., Mach 23 rendering. Estimated wait time: 134 minutes._

Barbara let out a soft groan as the time slowly ticked down on the computer screen in front of her.  She rested her head on her desk and began drumming her fingers to the beat of the system rendering beeps.

She heard her colleague/friend/former roommate Frankie chuckle from behind her computer screen. "Things going that well, huh?"

Barbara groaned again in reply.

"Come on sweetie, what's wrong?" Frankie's singsong-y voice floated back towards her.

"This program! It was perfectly fine the first time, but no! 'The voice isn't right, Barbara.' 'You need to be able to fool me AND Alfred, Barbara.' 'The A.I. needs to be fully functioning but not homicidally inclined, Barbara.' I cannot WAIT for this to be done."

"You think Mach 23 is the one?"

Barbara stood up, grabbed her empty coffee mug, and walked over to the coffee-maker in the corner of their office. With a few quick taps of her fingers, the machine roared to life, and Barbara began to tap her foot impatiently. "It better be," she muttered darkly.

"Finally!" Frankie wheeled herself away from her desk, the computer dinging its goodbye.

"You're done already?"

Frankie smiled at Barbara and shook her head. "Hey, I'm just the IT girl on hourly. I don't get paid the big bucks to move us one step closer to Skynet."

"Aww Frank, can't you stay? Don't you love me anymore?"

"And miss the Wayne Enterprises gala tonight? I love you, girl, but I love a free night on the town just as much."

Barbara sighed pitifully, but hugged her friend tight anyways. "I hope you have a great time tonight, Frankie."

Frankie released her arms from the hug and rubbed Barbara's back. "You going to be okay?"

"What? Of course!" Barbara quickly turned back towards the coffee machine and grabbed the newly filled mug of liquid energy. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Frankie looked at her sadly; Barbara ignored her, walking back to her desk. "You know, ten years ago - "

"It's in the past," Barbara answered before Frankie could finish. "Besides, what sort of mother would I be if I left my child in this time of need?"

"Well, are you sure you're fine with missing the big shindig?"

Barbara rolled her eyes, turning back towards her concerned friend. "First of all, if I never have to be on display at another Wayne function, it will be too soon. Secondly, you know my father would rather lock me in Arkham then let me go anywhere with a population exceeding ten people. And lastly, if I did get to go, I'd have to deal with a hovering dad, a pained looking boss man, and the likelihood of getting arrested for punching Dick Grayson in the face. Trust me, this is much better."

Frankie rolled her eyes, but smiled at Barbara nonetheless. "If you're sure - "

"Of course! And you need to go. Someone has to represent the best department in the building."

"Best-looking, that's for sure. Sure you won't be too freaked out all alone down here? Tessa from HR said everyone is going."

Barbara snorted "She's paid to say that. Now, get going before I forcibly eject you from my fortress of solitude!"

Frankie grinned and made her way towards the slowly opening door. "See you later, Gordon."

"Have fun! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Barbara called after her and grinned as Frankie returned a one-fingered salute of her own. The door, with their names emblazoned on it, followed by "Information Technology Specialists", swung shut after Frankie.

_Information Technology Specialists, my ass,_ Barbara thought to herself. She had to give credit where credit was due, however; it was a good cover. In fact, if it hadn't been for that stupid cover, she would still be under constant surveillance at her apartment. Bruce, for all his flaws, was perhaps the best business man she knew, and he had somehow managed to convince her father that she would be totally safe working at Wayne Enterprises. Barbara would have been relieved, but she saw his intentions for what they were: a place for her to work and be of use, but as far removed from the "family" as possible. And as annoyed as it made her, she was grateful; it was better than being under house arrest at her dad's.

It hadn't always been like this. Life had been normal once. School, dinner with Dad, fighting crime, doing homework, weapons building with Bruce, etiquette lessons with Alfred – _she_ had been normal. It all turned to shit the day she lost her legs.

Sighing, she pulled out her personal laptop, grabbed her leftovers from lunch out of the fridge, and turned her attention to the news coverage at the Wayne Enterprises Annual Gala.

"- _Welcome back to our evening coverage of the Wayne Enterprises gala. My name is Lois Lane, and I am live at the largest Gotham event of the year. We just spoke to the man of the hour himself, accompanied by Diana Prince, known United Nations correspondent._

The screen flicked to an earlier interview. _"Mr. Wayne, if you could remind our viewers, what is the purpose of the annual Wayne Enterprises Gala?"_

Bruce shot Lois his most winning smile. " _It would be my pleasure, Ms. Lane. The Wayne Enterprises Gala was created for the sole purpose of raising money to give back to the community. Gotham has had a, uh, difficult past, but I truly believe that its darkest hour has passed. The time has begun to turn Gotham back into the shining beacon of progress it once was, and you can be certain that Wayne Enterprises will be leading the charge."_ With a quick kiss goodbye to the camera, Bruce and Diana walked away.

Barbara snorted as she took a giant bite of her pasta. "You should change your name to Sharkbait," she muttered under her breath.

Her phone buzzed on her desk. She grabbed hold of it, shoved some more pasta in her mouth, and read the text messages as they appeared.

_Barry Allen: Hey Babs! You coming tonight?_

_Barry Allen: I can pick you up if you'd like!_

_Barry Allen: Iris can't make it, so I need a date!_

_Barry Allen: I'll even bring you some flowers or something!_

**_Barbara Gordon: BARRY. This isn't prom. You don't need to bring me flowers. Also, I'm not going._ **

_Barry Allen: WHAT? WHY NOT?_

**_Barbara Gordon: I'm working late tonight, finishing up on a project._ **

_Barry Allen: : (_

_Barry Allen: All you do is work nowadays._

**_Barbara Gordon: Well, it's either work or house arrest._ **

_Barry Allen: : (_

_Barry Allen: Still a bummer though. Everyone else is stopping by! Even Dinah and Oliver, and you know how impossible it is to have them in the same room right now._

**_Barbara Gordon: Are they still fighting?_ **

_Barry Allen: Dinah cut the heads off ALL of Ollie's arrows and replaced them with butt plugs._

**_Barbara Gordon: Damn._ **

_Barry Allen: Tell me about it._

_Barry Allen: Are you sure that project can't wait?_

_Barry Allen: We all really miss you!_

**_Barbara Gordon: Hardly._ **

_Barry Allen: They do! I miss you the most though._

**_Barbara Gordon: You know, you could run over here some time! It's not like you have a long commute anywhere._ **

_Barry Allen: I know, I know, you're right._

_Barry Allen: Are you sure you can't come?_

**_Barbara Gordon: Positive._ **

_Barry Allen: Well, let me know if you need anything. If you do, I'll be over in -_

**_Barbara Gordon: DON'T YOU SAY IT_ **

_Barry Allen: A FLASH._

**_Barbara Gordon: ….._ **

**_Barbara Gordon: …..._ **

**_Barbara Gordon: Sometimes I hate you._ **

_Barry Allen: : )_

_Barry Allen: You know you love me._

**_Barbara Gordon: … That I do. Have fun tonight, Allen._ **

Barbara smiled to herself as she grabbed hold of the pasta. Barry always, always had her back. Even considering Kara and Dinah, he was the closest friend she had. Funny, how things work like that. She never in a million years would have thought that after all this time, it would just be Barry Allen left standing. Well, Barry Allen and the ever-suffering Alfred Pennyworth, but still.

" _Look who has just arrived! Ladies and gentlemen, Dick Grayson, with – can it be? Supermodel Kory Anders!"_

Barbara stilled, staring at the screen, as Dick Grayson strode into view, wearing a dark purple suit, perfectly tailored to show off his assets. At his side was "Kory Anders" - Starfire's public persona – in a fitted black dress that left very little to the imagination. Her bottle-red hair hung down to her waist, the Farrah Fawcett curls taking up a decent amount of the screen.

" _Mr. Grayson, great to see you!"_

Dick winked at Lois. " _A pleasure to see you as always, Ms. Lane."_

Lois laughed brightly. " _How does it feel to be the beneficiary of the Wayne legacy on nights like tonight?"_

" _Lois – if I may call you Lois – Bruce taking me under his wing after I lost my family was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. I am incredibly proud to be a part of his generous legacy. To be here, surrounded by all my friends and loved ones, with the most beautiful girl in the world at my side – there's nothing more I can ask for."_

Lois thanked Dick and Starfire, and as they walked away she turned to face the camera. " _Truly a triumphant night for Gotham's royal family - "_

Barbara closed the computer window with a click. Feeling sick to her stomach, she pushed her pasta away, and breathed deeply, hoping to chase away any untoward thoughts. She suddenly heard a ding coming from her computer station.

_Project A.L.F.R.E.D., Mach 23 rendered. Please insert chip before commencing download._

Barbara raced over to her station. Grabbing her prototype communicator watch, she removed the empty chip, inserted it into the docking station, and commenced the download. The watch was fairly inconspicuous; it had a pale pink leather band, a medium-sized cream-colored face, with two small gold hands that showed the time. Underneath the leather were several laced graphene threads that held the operating system dock in place under the watch face. The glass on top of the watch face was made of several layers of metallic glass, meaning it could withstand bullets and weight that was fifteen times the normal capacity of a steal beam of the same size. The A.I. chip, once inserted, could only be removed by the person who inserted it into the watch in the first place, as sort of a failsafe. It was, without a doubt, both the most expensive and impressive piece of Wayne Tech ever created.

_Total program download in 3 minutes._

Barbara sighed again, watching the countdown. At this rate, she would be ahead of schedule. She might even be able to leave earlier than -

_BOOM!_ The sound of splintering glass and crashing cement echoed throughout the corridor.

"What the - " Barbara muttered. She peered through the blinds on her office window and saw several masked men heading down the corridor, towards the sound of the explosion. The private Wayne Security detail, that usually patrolled Wayne Enterprises after hours, was nowhere to be seen.

"Shit," Barbara gasped. Whirling around, she opened up a hidden compartment of prototype guns – one of her many side projects; as long as she was incarcerated at Wayne Enterprises with total access to Bruce's credit card, she might as well have a hobby – and tapped her foot impatiently while the program finished downloading.

_A.L.F.R.E.D., Mach 23, downloaded. Please insert into device for immediate testing._

Barbara grabbed the chip and stuck it into the watch. As she slid the watch onto her slender wrist, she could feel the small gears in the docking system adjusting so that the watch was snugly attached. The watch began to glow softly as the AI came online.

"Program intializing," a deep British voice said. The light on the watch face glowed with each syllable the AI spoke. "A.L.F.R.E.D. online. Who is the primary controller?"

"Barbara Gordon," she spoke slowly, still tapping her foot.

"Body scan initializing. Retinal scan initializing. All individual markers catalogued, approved and secured. Personnel file pulled. Hello, Barbara Gordon. How may I be of service?"

Barbara shoved some magazines into her pocket. "Set me as sole executor of your system and its programming, initialize all security protocols, begin downloading of Wayne Enterprises database. Sync data from my cellular device, laptop, and console to system storage."

"Yes, Ms. Gordon. All items in progress."

"Please, call me Barbara." Barbara grabbed the gun, loaded it, and moved over towards the door.

"Of course, Ms. Gordon," A.L.F.R.E.D. replied.

_So far, so good on the personality front,_ Barbara thought as she crouched behind the door.

"Information downloaded, processed, and synced to my servers. Security protocols updated."

"Great. I need you to get an eye on the situation in the Weapons Division once you've finished."

A few seconds passed while A.L.F.R.E.D. processed the information. Still crouched behind the door, Barbara heard several more footsteps running down the hallway.

" - faster we get the load, the faster we get paid, so keep those feet moving quickly - " The voice barking out commands disappeared down the hallway, quickly drowned out by the sounds of boots slamming down on the floor.

"There has been a breach in the Weapons Division," A.L.F.R.E.D. began. "It appears that the innermost laboratory area has been compromised."

Barbara drew in a sharp breath. "Why? And how?"

"My scans of Mr. Wayne's messages to Mr. Pennyworth indicate some sort of alien byproduct was delivered this morning to Wayne Enterprises. I would assume that is the cause of this commotion. As to the who, I am scanning the security footage as we speak and running all faces through the Gotham City Police Department database."

"SHIT. What was Bruce thinking, bringing something like that here?"

"I have identified some of the intruders, Ms. Gordon. Frank Legetti, former SEAL, wanted for illegal weapons racketeering on the black market. Clyde and Wilson Marchette, thugs-for-hire, recently paroled. There are several other men in masks that appear to be guns for hire. However, I believe I have identified the leader."

Barbara nodded, beginning to brace herself for a fight. "Lay it on me."

"A Jerome Napier, convicted felon, who recently escaped from Arkham Asylum."

The blood drained from Barbara's face. "It can't be."

"I'm afraid so, Ms. Gordon. The Joker is in the building."


	3. Say Goodbye

Shutting her eyes, Barbara forced herself to breathe slowly, fighting the urge to panic.

"Are you all right, Ms. Gordon? My scanners indicate that you are in physical distress."

Barbara exhaled loudly. "I'm peachy keen, thanks A.L.F.R.E.D." _You can do this, Barbara. Stop being Babs, and start being Batgirl again._ "How is the security team holding up?"

"Preparing holographic transmission," A.L.F.R.E.D. intoned. As she moved her wrist to a parallel position opposite the floor, bluish projections began to move through the air. Barbara watched in silence as several masked men scanned the room. And standing in the midst of all the madness was the Joker, his previously handsome face marred and disfigured, as if the decay in his heart decided to manifest itself on his face.

There was just one thing missing. "A.L.F.R.E.D., where is Wayne Security?"

A.L.F.R.E.D. began whirring as the transmission continued. "It appears, Ms. Gordon, that there are no members of the Wayne security detail on site."

Barbara froze as she dropped her wrist, the bluish holograms fading almost instantly. "Okay, first things first. What does the Joker want with alien byproduct?"

"It is apparently of unknown origin. Mr. Wayne indicated in his emails they were hoping to utilize it as an energy source, although none of the previous research suggests that it's possible," A.L.F.R.E.D. replied.

Barbara just shook her head as the chamber of her gun firmly slid into place. "And so he delivers it to the Weapons Division, thinking that it'll be safe there behind the millions of dollars he's spent on building security."

"In Mr. Wayne's defense, he had no way of knowing the Joker would have escaped Arkham."

"Still, Bruce is smarter than that. Unless - " Barbara paused, almost dropping the gun.

"Unless Mr. Wayne intended for it to fall into the Joker's hands - "

"And that's why he invited everyone to the Wayne gala. To make sure the building was empty." She felt her blood freeze in her veins. Her hands began to shake as scenario after scenario ran through her mind. "It's the only one that makes sense. Are there any other Wayne employees in the building?"

A.L.F.R.E.D. replied almost hesitantly. "I'm afraid, Ms. Gordon, you are the only one."

Barbara dropped her head into her hands and began massaging her temples, trying to focus her body on other physical tasks instead of hyperventilating. It was a losing battle. _The sooner I get out of here, the better. "_ A.L.F.R.E.D., do you have access to the tests on the byproduct?"

"Yes, Ms. Gordon."

"What do they indicate?"

"I'm pulling them open now." The watch face blinked again, and Barbara flipped her wrist up to look at the holographic information. She was surprised when the A.I. spoke again; it was almost as if A.L.F.R.E.D. was afraid. "This byproduct's only known characteristic is the massive explosion that occurs every time it comes in contact with organic material."

Barbara's face became ashen. "He's trying to kill the Joker." Leaping to her feet, she peeked through the window.

"Ms. Gordon, I would advise you to get out of the building."

The corridor was empty. Wrenching the door open with her foot, Barbara stepped into the hallway, gun trained firmly in front of her. "I couldn't agree more," she muttered. "I'll need you to help me navigate out."

The watch began to glow, and the face lifted up. Grabbing hold of the small earbud hidden under the watch face, Barbara stuck it in her ear as A.L.F.R.E.D. began to speak. "All security cameras are up and running, Ms. Gordon."

"Can you get me an audio feed into the Weapons Division?" Barbara began inching down the hall towards the side staircase that would lead her directly to Human Resources, on level two.

"Forming connection. Audio feed stabilized."

After a quick burst of static, Barbara heard voices barking out orders.

"Clyde's group, move into the lower levels and secure any weaponry you can find. My team, we're headed back out. We need to make a clear path for the payload."

Barbara continued to quietly inch backwards. "Who's that?"

"Wilson Marchette, Ms. Gordon."

Another male voice began speaking, only slightly higher than Wilson's. Barbara assumed it was Clyde's. "And what's Legetti gonna do, huh?"

A man began to laugh. Its deep timbre shivered its way down Barbara's spine. "Frankie boy's gotta special job, don't you Frank?"

"Boss, you really gonna go after - "

Barbara heard a gunshot rip through her earbud and she almost dropped her own weapon at the sound. "Joey, Joey, Joey. You should know better than to question me."

Barbara manuvered into a doorway. "A.L.F.R.E.D., give me a visual."

"Ms. Gordon, I must advise you - "

"A.L.F.R.E.D.! Now!" Her voice cracked.

The holographic images blurred into existence again, resting on her wrist. The Joker was swinging around a gun wildly, as two masked men dragged the dead body of "Joey" out of the camera's view.

"Anyone else want to take their shot?" The Joker whirled around wildly, running a hand through his long, greasy green hair. "Anyone? No takers? All right then."

"How do we know she's even here?" Clyde asked.

Barbara stopped breathing. As if he knew she was watching him, the Joker slowly turned until he faced the security camera. "She's here. My sweet little bat is too good to abandon her work." He began to laugh maniacally. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

"Ms. Gordon, I must insist - "

"Frankie!" The Joker had whirled back around, his face twisted in rage. "Bring her to me!"

Dropping her wrist suddenly, Barbara took two deep breaths. "I think it's time to leave," she said aloud.

"I quite agree."

Nodding her head, Barbara abandoned all stealth and sprinted towards the stairs. As she reached the doorway, she heard loud footsteps behind her. "There she is!"

Entering the stairwell, she slammed the door behind her and hit the emergency lock. "A.L.F.R.E.D., get me out of here!"

"There are no heat signatures on any of the stairwells. However, I have lost Legetti. I am not picking up his readings on any of my scans."

"Keeping scanning!" Barbara jumped onto the stairs and ascended as fast as she could, leaping two at a time.

"No sign yet, Ms. Gordon."

"Keep working!" Barbara yelled louder. The door to sublevel 2 burst open below, and she heard several pounding steps racing after her.

"Still no sign, Ms. Gordon."

Barbara held her hand to her ear as she continued to climb. "If I get captured, you contact Barry and go dark, you understand?"

"I could perhaps - "

"No! You contact Barry and you go dark. Those are my orders, okay?"

"Of course Ms. Gordon."

Having finally reached the second floor, Barbara pressed her thumb and waited for her identification to render.

"There are three heat signatures behind you, arriving in approximately 4.3 seconds."

Turning around, Barbara opened fire the second their heads popped into her line of sight. Pressing a button on the side of her gun, the miniature plasma chamber roared to life, and she emptied her dissolving bullets onto the hired men. They fell to the ground, screaming.

It was really a stroke of genius. Turning the Scarecrow's fear toxin in a temporary paralytic was one of the best ideas she had ever had. This way, the gun holder could incapacitate anyone without the adding red to their ledger. Whether or not it would cause psychiatric damage in those exposed to the paralytic remained to be seen, but now wasn't the time to contemplate the ramifications of this new technology.

"Six more on the way, Ms. Gordon."

With a small beep, the door unlocked. Barbara wrenched it open, threw herself forward, and slammed it behind her. The second it closed behind her, several footsteps reached the landing, and the soldiers began pounding on the door.

"Ms. Gordon, I believe I've located Legetti."

Turning around, Barbara found herself face to face with a tall, heavily scarred man.

"So have I," she whispered.

Legetti's scarred face broke into a smile, revealing several jagged teeth. "Sweet dreams, Batgirl." He waved a small canister in her face, releasing a yellow smoke.

"Ms. Gordon," she heard A.L.F.R.E.D. speak, but he lost out to the darkness.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Barry Allen tapped his foot impatiently. Of course, it was always a pleasure and a joy and whatever to be invited to Bruce's galas, but it was completely and totally boring. Especially without Iris and Barbara. Having them around made these engagements almost bearable. They were able to spend the time making fun of the various rich people who attended, and placing bets on which model Bruce was taking home that night. As it was, there was a severe lack of models, and way too many public displays of affection coming from Dick and Kory, and no one to drink away the awkwardness with.

Sighing, Barry turned and spotted Barbara's dad. He caught Jim's eye, who waved him over.

"Barry," Jim said, grasping his hand tightly. "How have you been, son? Barbara says you've been busy."

Barry laughed awkwardly, knowing that by the look in Jim's eye, he was slightly peeved that he hadn't visited Barbara in awhile. "Yeah, it's been really busy in Central City actually. With the Flash running around, and all that business with the giant gorilla - "

Jim snorted. "Yeah, we heard about that. I'll gladly leave the giant apes to you any day."

Laughing, Barry released his hand from Jim, who clapped him on the shoulder. Barry let go a sigh of relief internally. Having spent a few years around the Gordons, he knew that meant all was forgiven. "Don't worry, next time I'll call you up. It would be too bad to save all the fun for myself, you know?"

"Smart ass," Jim muttered into his drink. "Barry, meet Harvey Dent, mayor of Gotham, and Bruce Wayne."

"Mr. Mayor, the pleasure's all mine."

Harvey grinned back at Barry and shook his hand. "Mutual, I'm sure. Always glad to see police forces who are willing to cooperate with each other."

"Mr. Allen," Bruce cut in, shooting Barry a lazy wink.

"Mr. Wayne, thank you for inviting the CCPD to your gala - "

Bruce threw his head back and laughed as if Barry had said the funniest thing in the world. "Think nothing of it, son. Anyone who helps out the Flash is a friend of mine."

Rolling his eyes, Barry glanced around. "You know, it's almost a surprise none of those masked dudes have shown up to this shindig."

"I'm sure they have better things to do," he heard a new voice say behind him. Groaning internally, he pivoted to see Dick and Starfire greeting Bruce and Harvey.

"Good to see you as always, Mr. Dent. And may I say, you look quite dapper this evening!" Starfire gushed as Harvey kissed her hand.

"Ms. Anders, you are too kind," Darvey beamed, soaking in her praise. "Dick, good to see you."

"Mr. Mayor." Dick turned to face Jim and froze momentarily, the smile on his face becoming strained. "Commissioner Gordon."

Jim glared at him over his drink, and finished taking a swig from the glass. "Richard."

"Always a pleasure, sir." The Grayson charm was back in full swing, but Jim was having none of it.

"Commissioner Gordon, a pleasure to meet you," Starfire jumped in, stretching out her hand. Jim just looked at it, and then turned to face Barry. Barry shot Bruce a look, who was suddenly very interested in the drapes covering the large bay window.

"So, Mr. Allen, what else is new with - "

A large squeal erupted over the speaker towers that had been strategically placed around the gala room. Barry winced, rubbing his ears.

"Attention, attention, attention please! Have I got everyone's attention? Lights, camera, action!"

Lights flickered in Barry's eyes. Stepping back, he saw a beam of light shooting straight past him and onto the large wall near the head table. The picture flickered in and out, finally focusing in on the one face he hoped he'd never have to see again.

"Good evening, citizens of Gotham! Long time no see!" The Joker's twisted visage focused, and several gasps tore through the guests of the gala. "Well, as "long" as time could be, since time is more of a theoretical construct, a way of being, of understanding the world around us - "

The sound of breaking glass snapped him back to attention. Bruce had broken his glass by squeezing it too tightly in his fist. Jim was in full Commissioner mode, barking out orders over the phone to some detective off site. Grayson was fuming next to a pale Starfire, who wasn't sure whether to comfort Dick or give him some space. Glancing behind him, Barry followed the beam of light to the wall, where a screwed in steel plate was protecting the projector. Walking quickly, he tried prying the plate off the wall.

"Well?" Bruce said, close behind him.

Barry continued to pull. "It's welded shut."

"Leave it," Gordon barked. "We need all the information his transmission will give us."

" - timey wimey things, but, sorry about that, I got off track. Gentlemen, ladies, distinguished guests of Bruce Wayne, I welcome you all to Gotham City! I do hope you've enjoyed your stay." The Joker moved in close to the camera, until just his bloody, disfigured grin was in view. "It's the end of the line for you.

"It is true, I have been rather busy being incarcerated, that sort of thing - " The Joker moved back and began pacing in front of the camera, gesticulating wildly as he spoke. "Truly, idle hands are the devil's playground. And you, Gotham City, always _try_ to keep me idle. The time has now come for you to experience the fruit of my work – nay, of our work. Truly, Dr. Machivel, I am indebted to you.

"Here's how it's going to be: I'm going to make the 73 teensy weensy little itty bitty acid bombs my friends planted around the city explode. Bring about a sort of miniature apocalypse. It will be a long, painful death, I'm sure, but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

The camera focusing on the Joker began to turn as he made his way around the perimeter of the laboratory. "But what will you do if everyone in Gotham is dead, you ask? Simple: remake Gotham City in my image. Harvey Dent, Commissioner Gordon, Bruce Wayne, Batman – they've failed you all. They failed me. I believe it's time for a new King in Gotham."

The Joker once again got close to the camera as he giggled evilly. "And what is a King, without his Queen?"

With a mad flourish, the Joker spun the camera around until it was facing a girl tied up against a wall. Her arms were tightly secured above her head, and there was a gag in her mouth.

"No," Barry heard Bruce breathe.

The young woman lifted her head, glaring at the camera. Barry instantly felt sick to his stomach.

"That's right folks, you heard it here first! Meet your new queen of crime - Barbara Gordon!"

____________________________________________________________________________________

"Truly, idle hands are the devil's playground..." His was the voice she heard first when consciousness greeted her once again. Barbara tried to open her eyes, but instantly felt sick to her stomach. Closing them again, she focused on breathing in and out through her nose as her senses got ahold of themselves. She heard the Joker continue to ramble on, something about remaking Gotham in his image. His words alternated in volume with the ringing in her ears.

"And what is a King, without his Queen?"

Those words were the brutal awakening Barbara needed. Lifting her head, she meant to glare at the Joker – but found a camera in her face instead.

"Say hello to the citizens of Gotham, Ms. Gordon!" The Joker giggled madly, hopping back and forth as the camera panned in front of her.

_Breathe, breathe, breathe, just keep breathing -_

Barbara sighed. Pulling her head back, and made a big show of rolling her eyes. As she turned her head to the side, she began to flex her wrists, testing their mobility and attempting to judge how tightly she was bound.

Clearly, that was not the reaction the Joker wanted. Pushing the cameraman aside, he walked closer to her, his expression contorted.

"Or should I say, Batgirl?"

That caused Barbara to still. The Joker began to giggle again, this time in a sickly sweet manner, as he caressed her face. "Who'd have thought that the golden girl of Gotham City had such a naughty secret?" Stepping backwards slightly, he began to walk around Barbara, until he was cozied up by her side. He wrapped his arms around her hanging body and began to squeeze tightly. "Nature is cruel, isn't it?" The Joker cooed. "Commissioner Gordon tried to kill me once, but I survived. So I thought, what's fair is fair, and I'll kill the person who's most important to him. And what it added bonus it was, when it realized that Jimbo's precious little girl belonged to the Batman too! Because really, you would know who that hair belonged to, even if the rest of you was gone.

"But then, my dear," The Joker moved in close, his lips touching her cheek, rubbing its oil on her face as he spoke, "You survived. You created a miracle! Restored the legs I took away from you." The Joker shivered against her, and Barbara held her breath, trying to hold in the tremors that he elicited by being this close to her. "You were made anew. _I_ made you anew. And when I found that out – well, I just had to get out. You and me, Batgirl, we're meant to be."

Barbara turned her face away from him and shut her eyes as he kissed her skin. _Breathe, Barbara, breathe, just breathe -_

"But enough about the future Mrs. J! Frankie, bring in my toys." The Joker whirled away across the room towards a hilariously ornate lever that was being pulled into the room by Legetti. The cameras followed the Joker, and as he began to digress about the specific manner in which one's skin would melt off of their bones once he flipped the switch, Barbara wrapped her left pinky finger around her right wrist until A.L.F.R.E.D. was once again operational.

"Manual override complete. Biometric scans complete. Ms. Gordon, how would you like me to proceed?"

Barbara began tapping on the face watch in morse code. _S W I T C H B -_

"Operation Switchblade activated. Current restraint integrity, 100%. Estimated completion time, 40 seconds."

The docking bay doors on the far side of the room flew open, catching Barbara's attention. Several frightened looking men in lab coats began rapidly hitting buttons around the capsule, which slowly began to disengage its locks. A mixture of purple light and smoke began to seek into the lab as the containment mechanism began to rise.

_The alien byproduct_!

The tallest man in the group, Barbara presumed Dr. Machivel, grabbed hold of an accompanying crate and pulled out two large metal gloves.

"Prepare the charge to receive the source," Machivel barked out. He held his gloved hands next to the capsule, eyes focused in on the steadily rising purple light.

Shutting her eyes, Barbara poured through the information in her head. _There are no members of the Wayne security detail on site... Mr. Wayne indicated in his emails they were hoping to utilize it as an energy source, although none of the previous research suggests that it's possible... This byproduct's only known characteristic is the massive explosion that occurs every time it comes in contact with organic material._ She opened her eyes with a stifled gasp.

"Restraint capacity is at 40%," A.L.F.R.E.D. intoned. "Operation completion in 20 seconds."

" - Of course, if there are any remaining stragglers out there, once this little party is over, I give my men free reign to do with them as they wish. Any questions? Good, I - "

Barbara began to hum violently, almost against her restraints.

The Joker beamed as he spun, pointing the camera to look at Barbara. "Barbara, my dear, how impolite of me! Wilson, please give my darling girl a hand. It's only fair that she gives her city a proper goodbye as well."

Wilson grimaced as he marched over towards. He pulled the gag out roughly, causing Barbara to choke on air.

The Joker tutted and shook his head. "Now now, Wilson - "

Groaning, Wilson turned back to Barbara and clapped her on the back – well, it was more of a hard smack across her shoulder blades, but it got the job done. Breathing normally, she leaned forward, hoping the weight displacement would help A.L.F.R.E.D. with cutting through her restraints.

"Restraint capacity at 20%."

The containment module was finally clear of the capsule's center. With a loud bark, Machivel pushed the remaining labcoats back, grabbed hold of what looked like an extremely sturdy set of pinchers, and pulled the byproduct from the containment module. Purple light instantly flooded the room. Wincing at the sudden glare, Barbara forced her gaze directly into the light and saw a gem – if you could call it that. It looked like something Bruce could easily purchase from any jewelry store in the world, but it almost looked like it wasn't entirely _there_. Like it was a darkly colored gas, or a physical snippet of space, that held its form in the shape of a precious gem. And as she continued to stare at it, Barbara swore she heard it _whisper_ to her.

"Restraint capacity at 10%."

"Ms. Gordon!" The combination of A.L.F.R.E.D.'s announcement, and the Joker's loud cry, snapped Barbara out of her reverie. "I would very much appreciate your attention right now." Motioning for his lanky to set the camera in the doorway of the chamber, The Joker yanked the pinchers out of Machivel's hand, skipped over to the lever, and placed the stone in the previously empty power chamber on top of the device.

"Restraint capacity at 5%."

"Hold," Barbara muttered underbreath. "Partyman on my signal."

"Partyman on standby," A.L.F.R.E.D. replied. "Be careful, Ms. Gordon."

The Joker turned to face her, a sick smile on his face. "Sorry sweetheart, I didn't catch that. Anything you'd care to add before we say goodbye?"

_You can do this. It's going to be okay._ Barbara took a deep breath and shifted her eyes toward the camera. "I – , I- ," she swallowed down a sob that was threatening to overtake her composure, "I love you. I'm so sorry."

The Joker froze in mid-movement. Turning to look at her, his eyes burned in rage. "I certainly hope you're talking about me. I'd hate to be disappointed so early on in our marriage. They're going to be gone!" He waved his arms about, stalking towards her. "From now on, the only person you'll see is me!"

Barbara nodded her head slowly. "Yes."

The Joker released a large gust of air, a look of genuine shock on his face as he looked at her. Barbara couldn't take it; as tears began to fall down her face, _she_ was the one who began to laugh maniacally.

"I'll be seeing you all right," she gasped between bouts of laughter. Then, with a turn so dark that Harley Quinn would have been proud, her face turned into a fierce grimace, the harsh lines accentuated by the tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I'll see you in hell!" Bracing her legs against the wall, she pushed forward with a hard cry, knocking the Joker off his feet. At the exact moment the rope snapped, the speakers in the Weapons Division began to blast an obscenely loud rendition of "Partyman" - an ironic choice, as that was the Joker's favorite song. The lights near the exits began to flicker, and the hidden sentry turrets in the ceiling began firing their tranquilizing bullets on any intruder that moved. The Marchette brothers went down almost instantly. Machivel was trying to crawl towards the lever, but the three other scientists in labcoats laying on top of him were impeding his process. Legetti, on the other hand, was trying to push through to the Joker, yanking out the several darts that were embedded in his shoulder and causing him to move at a rather slow pace.

"Partyman is a go, Ms. Gordon."

"Thanks, A.L.F.R.E.D.," she said. With a final twist, the hand ties holding her wrists together tore apart. Using her momentum, she turned around and punched the Joker in the face, just as he was attempting to stand.

"Stop her!" He yelled, blood running out of his nose. The few intruders that were still standing tried to overtake her, but were either stopped by tranquilizing darts or were unceremoniously shoved out of the way as she raced towards the lever.

Skidding to a stop, she fought the temptation to lose herself in the stone ahead, instead yanking the power module off the lever. The lights ceased their flickering, and the Joker pulled himself to his feet, disheveled and fearful.

"Barbara, please. Put the stone down."

_____________________________________________________________________________________

"Barbara! Put it down!" The Joker's scream echoed throughout the ballroom. Barry knew, in the back of his head, that this was the moment he should begin running, that he needed to be there, but the eyes of everyone in the ballroom were glued forward. It wasn't yet time to run.

Jim Gordon wasn't breathing. Tears were in his eyes as he watched Barbara stand defiantly against the Joker, a bright purple light in her hands. Bruce was whispering furiously into his phone – most likely to Alfred, if Barry had to take a guess – repeatedly saying things like _Clark_ and _alien stone_ and _what files did she see!_ Dick Grayson was slowly moving towards the screen, a mantra of "dear God, Barbara, please, don't, please drop it" streaming out of his mouth. Even Starfire, as awful as she could be where Barbara was concerned, was crying as she watched, not even attempting to stop Dick.

Barry turned his full attention back to the screen. Barbara gulped, but smiled sternly at the Joker. "Goodbye," she whispered.

The room exploded in a flash of purple light, the video stream showed "ERROR" in bright red letters, and Bruce Wayne began to scream. 


	4. Legend Has It

It was never fun playing chess with Charles Xavier. "It's a gift", "I don't try to cheat", "I can't just turn it off" - frankly, all of his excuses were total bullshit, but Stephen Strange met him for brunch every Thursday anyways. It was nice, familiar, and normal, and out of everyone in existence, the only person who really knew what it felt like to be the Guardian of the Soul Stone was him, the world's most powerful telepath. Doctor Strange was grateful, for sure – he knew the importance of the burden he carried, and he carried it well. But being able to feel the souls of everything in existence, to know in his heart that _anything_ could be under his control, was a heavy load to carry. And so, he came and he played chess with Professor Xavier, and lost every week, but that was okay. That was good.

So when, in the midst of taking Xavier's knight with a measly rook, he felt the Soul stone shudder in the Eye of Agamotto, Xavier didn't even hesitate: "Go."

Pushing back from the table, Stephen began casting, focusing on setting the sling ring on a course towards the shudder. For some reason, it took longer than normal, but after a few moments Steven found himself stepping from Charles' warm study into a darkened room.

Truly, it looked as if a bomb had gone off in the middle of the space. Scorch marks were on the walls, shadows of men burned into the concrete floor. Sirens blared as a loud voice intoned about "exiting the Wayne Enterprises premises in an orderly manner". Men's bodies were thrown haphazardly around the room, most of them were dead, although the guy in the clown costume most certainly was not. Tables were overturned, technological contraptions thrown back, and at the nucleus of the explosion there was a pile of ash.

The Eye began to shudder as Strange stared at the ashes. Frowning, he stuck his hand into the pile, and came in contact with an arm. Grasping hold of the arm, and pulled. A young woman with fiery red hair appeared. Her clothes were mostly intact, although it appeared as if her shirt had been burned in several places. The watch on her wrist looked scorched as well. Pressing his ear to her chest, he shut his eyes. There was a heartbeat – faint, but still there. Pulling back, he began to question why the Eye had brought him here, until he looked at the item held tightly in her hands.

The Eye glowed in recognition as Strange's eyes widened. "It can't be."

But there it was; the Power gem. Or rather, what was left of it. The gem was dissolving as he watched. His awe soon turned to horror as the Purple light continued to flow into the young woman's body.

"This isn't possible," he gasped.

"Barbara!" A loud voice was heard from down the hallway, followed by the sound of several loud footsteps. Standing up, Strange pulled the young woman into his arms, and with a wave of his hand he stepped back into Charles' sitting room. The sound of the sirens blaring faded as he rejoined his friend in the sunlight. He did not hear the anguished cries of the new arrivals to the dark room as the portal closed.

Charles immediately wheeled towards Strange and the young woman, his eyes furrowed in concentration.

"This should not be possible," Stephen gasped for breath.

"But yet it is so." Charles peered closer, watching the dissolving gem. "Where was she?"

"In a pile of ash. It appeared like - "

"An explosion, yes, I see. How long has the gem been - "

"Since I found her."

With that Charles lurched forward, pressing a button on the side of his chair. "Henry!"

The blue monstrosity was in the room faster than Strange could blink. "Everything all right, Charles?"

"Get this young woman to the Phoenix chamber, as fast as you can!" With that, Beast snatched the young woman out of Strange's arms, and fled out of the room.

"Stephen, come with me," Charles began to follow.

Stevphen trotted behind him as the headed beneath the school. "Why did you send him forward - "

"The Stone is binding with her body."

"Can you read the Stone's mind too?"

"I'm not reading the Gem's mind, per se. I'm sensing its intentions, reading its magical aura. I've had plenty of practice with you." Sirens began blaring as they entered the main underground corridor.

"It's impossible!"

"Is it really that unlikely? That such a magic wouldn't find an appropriate vessel somewhere eventually?"

Strange began to stutter. "It's never happened before."

With this, Xavier stopped and smiled up at Strange. "There's never been someone worthy before."

____________________________________________________________________________________

_"Goodbye."_

_She grasped the purple gem with her hand, and the world burst into light. She screamed as the burning sensation raced through her body. Her eyes opened themselves against her will, and she Saw. Colorful lights as she rocketed through space, burning energies twisting and ebbing and flowing as they raced, loved, hated, saved -_

_And then darkness, and ash, and the burning, always the burning -_

_"You are worthy."_

_The burning stopped, and she fell into Darkness' loving embrace._

______________________________________________________________________________________

" - have searched my records, there is truly nothing - "

"I believe our young friend is waking up."

Barbara blinked blearily, her eyes focusing on an obnoxiously bright light above her. Groaning, she tried to sit up, but found her arms exhausted. "Where am I? What happened? How - ?"

She heard the man with the British accent laugh, and his laugh sounded like tolling bells. "I do apologize for laughing, but your coherency is astounding."

Gritting her teeth, she forced herself into a sitting position, and found herself in a totally unfamiliar place. The bright light above her head was actually a rather dull lamp, compared to the sheer amount of sunlight streaming through the bay windows. The room itself was a beige color, filled with antique-looking brown furniture, and two overstuffed chairs. She was laying on a modern hospital bed that had a rather ornately embroidered comforter, and instead of her work clothes she was in a starchily pressed blue hospital gown. Her watch was also missing.

"We took your watch off before it could be damaged any further, but I'm afraid your clothing was a lost cause." The man with the British accent spoke again. He looked close to her father's age, but instead of her dad's finely trimmed hair and mustache, he was bald and cleanshaven. "I've sent Jean to purchase you replacement clothing, as well as any other amenities you may need."

Barbara blinked at him in response, and he laughed again. "So sorry, I haven't properly introduced myself. My name is Charles Xavier, and I am the founder of this institution. The man to my right is Doctor Stephen Strange. He is the one who found you after the, un, incident."

Turning her head slightly, she found herself locked in the fierce gaze of this Doctor Strange. Unlike Charles, he had perfectly coiffed black hair and a moustache and goatee that were shaved with the neatest precision. And, instead of Charles' finely pressed suit, he was wearing what looked like a loose blue shirt, covered by a large red cape that had fairly impressive shoulder pads.

Barbara shook her head. "I'm sorry, where am I?"

"Xavier's School of Gifted Youngsters, Ms. Gordon."

She stilled. "How do you know my name? Who are you?" Looking at the needles in her wrist, she began to frantically tug on them. "I need to get home."

Doctor Strange restrained her arms as Professor Xavier spoke calmly. "I'm afraid you can't go home right now."

"And why is that?" Barbara bit back.

"Your world, Ms. Gordon, exists in another dimension. And as long as you remain in possession of that gem, you will not be safe in any reality but our own."

___________________________________________________________________________________

After one very long shower, the redheaded woman named Jean returned with about seven different shopping bags. She helped Barbara get dressed, then wheeled her down into Charles' study, where he was waiting, along with Doctor Strange and what looked like a furry humanoid blue beast.

"So what you're saying is, the alien byproduct that Bruce found was from another dimension – this dimension," Barbara began slowly, "and that it should have killed me, but because it didn't, I now have to stay here indefinitely?"

"There's no need to be so melodramatic about it, Miss - "

"Stephen, please, allow me," Charles cut him off, staring at him sharply. Wheeling towards Barbara, he sighed deeply. "Perhaps, my dear, it would be easiest if I showed you?"

He moved to take hold of her hand, but Barbara withdrew it back quickly. "What are you doing?"

"This is my gift," he said softly, reaching for her hand again. This time, she allowed him to grab hold of it. "Trust me; this will all make sense very soon. Now, close your eyes."

After briefly narrowing her eyes at him, she shut them.

_Now, Ms. Gordon, let's begin._

Charles' voice echoed through her head. _You're in my mind?_

_Yes, Ms. Gordon. That is my gift._

Barbara suddenly saw herself standing next to Charles in her mind. _Feel free to interrupt me if you have any questions, Ms. Gordon._ Charles took a step forward, and Barbara, in her mind, stepped forward with him.

_What do you know about alternate realities, Ms. Gordon?_

Barbara's memory of the time Barry ended up in what he called Earth-32 flashed before them. His voice echoed in her head as his laugh greeted her eyes. " - And Bruce was married to Grayson! Can you believe it? I about fell over - "

_Ahh, so I see. You are aware of the multiverse theory after all._ Charles hummed thoughtfully. _Mr. Allen is mostly right in his estimation, but from what I gather, it isn't a matter of parallel universes as it is parallel dimensions. The same basic blueprint for our universe is present in each one, but the people that inhabit it and the events that can possibly occur are infinite in number. In fact, I'm surprised Mr. Allen found a universe that had so many "doppelgangers" that matched your world. The odds of that are incredible. The fact of the matter is, most universes will be filled with people you'll never know, or see relations of, in your own world._

_Our world is one of those worlds, Ms. Gordon. You will not find anyone here that matches someone from your home world. That should make creating an identity for you much easier, in the long run._

_Now, how you ended up here, and why you must stay – that is another matter entirely._ Charles-in-her-mind turned to look at her, an inquisitive expression on his face. _Do you mind if I invite Stephen to join us? He will be much better than I at explaining this situation._

Barbara felt her consciousness nod, and with a flash of green light, Strange was standing on her left. Charles nodded at Strange. _When you're ready, Stephen._

Barbara watched as Strange-in-her-mind shut his eyes. The environment around them began to change as new images began streaming across her consciousness. A man with flowing blonde hair and an oversized hammer, throwing – was that _lightning?! -_ at another man with antlers. A reddish colored robot flying through the sky. A giant green _thing_ , standing next to a masked man in blue.

_Apologies, Charles,_ Stephen said. The pictures vanished from her mind. Strange-in-her-head grinned at Xavier, who was shaking his head. _I got a little carried away. Now, Ms. Gordon -_

_How is it possible that I can hear his sneer in my mind?_ Barbara thought, momentarily forgetting that Strange and Xavier were also in her mind.

Xavier chortled as he patted her on the shoulder. _It's a gift._

Rolling his eyes, Strange took a step forward and started to speak. _Before we progress, Ms. Gordon, please be aware that many aspects of reality that you would usually perceive as myth are, in actuality, fact. So, in order to know the facts, we must know the gifts._

_Scholars of the mystical arts have kept the origin of our universe a secret for thousands of years. It is believed that long ago, our universe was populated by Titans, beings of immense power who were incapable of death._ Strange continued to step forward, Barbara and Xavier following behind, as stars swirled around them.

_That is, until they weren't. The Titans began to war with each other, arguing over the beings they wished to bring into existence for their own selfish benefit and enjoyment. But because there was no agreement amongst the Titans, they soon exterminated each other. The limitless power of creation warped their good intentions into the most ancient evil. Galactus, the last Titan, was the only Titan who refrained from the war, and was spared as a result. After his fellow Titans had passed, and he could feel the weight of loneliness on his shoulders, he decided to create the universe as we know it today; to give different life a chance of surviving in the space that was once his home. Each realm has different tales as to their exact origins, but it is agreed upon that our universe is the creation of Galactus. However, the act of creation took its toll on him, and in his final moments of life, he separated the creationary powers of his being into six separate stones. Why he did this is unclear; I can only assume that he saw the power of the Titans, and wished to prevent his creation from destruction._

_Barr, the first Allfather, Saw what had taken place, and in his wisdom reunited the stones, so he could fracture the universe apart. If no one travelled between the realms, the likelihood that the stones would be reunited and used for evil was decreased. Once he had scattered the realms, he destroyed the gauntlet he'd created to hold them, and spread the stones as far away from each other as possible._

_Of course, when I began my study of the mystic arts, I didn't believe in any of it. But then New York happened, and the Space Gem appeared._

The images they had seen earlier reappeared, and Barbara watched as Strange continued to atone. _Loki, the Norse god with horns, was intending on using the Space Gem to take over this world._ The image switched to show the antlered man in chains, standing next to the blonde man. Glaring at the antlered man – Loki, she presumed - , the blonde twisted his arm, and the two disappeared in a beam of blue light. _Of course, that wouldn't have been a problem, but then I found the Soul Gem a few months later._

This time, Barbara saw Strange in battle with what looked like a demonic horde. His eyes were glowing green, and with every swipe of his hands, one of the creatures fell to the ground as a light rushed out of their bodies and into the eye-shaped stone hanging around his neck.

_How did you find it?_ Barbara asked, inching closer to the memory.

The memory suddenly stopped. _It's not important now. But it was no coincidence that two of the Infinity Stones turned up within months of each other. With Lady Sif's permission -_

_She's a friend of the blonde,_ Xavier supplied.

Strange rolled his eyes. _With Lady Sif's permission, I learned how to sense the presence of other Stones – or rather, what they felt like in the presence of their Vessel. The Space Gem had chosen Sif, and she guards it, and because it chose Sif it is awake, and since it is awake, I can feel it._

_This, Ms. Gordon, is where you complicate things._

Barbara froze, and turned to face Strange in her mind. _How?_

Strange walked right up to her, frowning as he peered at her. _Throughout recorded history, there are several tales of the Stones finding Vessels – Vessels which they remain with for the entirety of their mortal life. The only Stone that has never had a Vessel is the Power Gem, mainly because no person has been capable of holding onto the Power Gem and not being destroyed instead._

_Until now,_ Charles placed his hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

The stars in her mind swirled faster as she began to panic. _You mean -_

_Yes, Ms. Gordon. You are the Vessel of the Power Gem, and within your body you hold the most dangerous force of destruction in the universe. No pressure, of course._

Charles reached around and smacked Strange on the head. Knocking his hand away, Strange got even closer into Barbara's space as she chanted, _just breathe, just breathe, just breathe -_

_What I want to know is why. Clearly it deems you worthy, as instead of destroying your body, it became a part of it. In fact, the Stone has implanted itself in your spine. Do you know why, Ms. Gordon?_

A solitary tear fell off of Barbara's face. Shutting her eyes, she turned her back as memories flashed in front of Strange and Xavier.

**-Opening the door – a flash of light – Screaming - _Why are you doing this? - To prove a point. -_**

She could hear the shock in Strange's voice, and what sound like the muffled sound of Xavier knocking Strange again on the head. _I apologize for prying, Ms. Gordon, but I needed to understand._

Barbara nodded, her back still to the others. _I know._

_If I may ask – and you have the right to withhold this memory if it is too painful, Ms. Gordon – but how is it that you came in possession of the Power Gem?_

**-Alarms blaring at Wayne Enterprises -** **_And what is a King, without his Queen? - Goodbye._ **

As the last glimmer of her memory faded, Xavier grabbed hold of Barbara's waist.

_This may be uncomfortable._

Barbara gasped as she found herself being pulled up and out, farther and farther -

She blinked, and found herself once again sitting in Xavier's study. Her face was wet. She brushed at it roughly, wiping away what was left of her tears. Charles took her other hand in his, patting it comfortingly as he looked at her with pity. Strange was frowning at the ground, as if his mind was trying to solve a puzzle.

"Words cannot express how sorry I am, my dear," Charles spoke lowly.

Shaking her head, she fluttered her eyelids, trying to catch any remaining tears in her eyes. "It's all right."

"No, it's not. And it's okay that it's not. But I do believe the day will come when it is, in fact, all right."

Barbara nodded and turned to look at Doctor Strange. "What do we do now?"

Strange huffed and sat back in his chair, his eyes still focused on the ground. "Well, there's no removing it. The Gem has fully integrated itself with your body, so in that regard, you are stuck. Your only option is to remain here, and stay hidden."

"But why?" Barbara cried out. She squeezed down on Charles' hand, who winced in pain as he unsuccessfully tried to remove his hand from her grip. "Why can't I go back?"

"It's for the best, for everyone."

"For once in my life, I agree with Strange." A new voice spoke up from the shadows. Barbara turned to look at the newcomer and froze as her eyes met the familiar tan trench coat and glowing cigarette.

"John?"

"In the flesh," John Constantine replied, blowing out a puff of smoke. "And boy, am I glad to see you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this will be the last chapter posting for the evening! I currently have another one completed, and half of one done, but I want to make sure Barbara ends up in New York -and consequently, only a few miles away from the Avengers - with my next batch of chapters. Much love to you all, and I'll be posting real soon!


	5. Ring of Fire

_If there was one thing John Constantine hated, it was being interrupted in the middle of an exorcism._

The demon Furcibur writhed at the ground as Constantine sped through his Latin. He could barely hear himself think amidst the dark screams. A sudden burst of ash momentarily obscured his vision, and he shouted the words louder in retaliation. The solitary candle in the far corner of the room began to flicker. Constantine smiled. Furcibur was done for.

"John - "

" _in el_ _nomine_ _patri_ _, et_ _filio_ _, et - "_

_"_ John - "

"Not right now Xan, I'm a little busy - "

"JOHN!"

Constantine groaned, throwing his book down. The candle in the corner stopped flickering, showering the dark room in a warm glow. "What?! Can't you see that I'm in the middle of -"

"It's Batgirl. She's dead."

Time froze momentarily. Blinking, Constantine turned to look at Xanadu, who was holding out her phone with tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

Shutting his eyes, Constantine rubbed his forehead, and then stalked over to Xanadu, wrenching the phone out of her hands. "Constantine."

"John? John! Oh thank God," Zatanna babbled. "There's been an explosion, and Barbara – she's gone, and the Joker got away, but the readings at the site – it feels like – like – what we saw with Strange."

Constantine's morose expression became hard. "What do you mean?"

"The auras –  they feel identical to the Soul - "

"I'm coming through. Don't say anything else to anyone until I say so, capiche?"

Zatanna hiccuped through the phone. "Yes - "

Constantine hung up and dropped the phone on the ground. "You," he said, pointing at Xanadu, and then at Furcibur, "deal with that. I'm heading out."

"With pleasure," Xanadu grinned at the demon, who gulped rather loudly in response.

Chanting quickly under his breath, Constantine stepped through a cloud of fiery smoke. The darkness of his underground ritual chamber gave way into the ruins of what appeared to be some kind of laboratory. He blinked away the smoke and saw Zatanna walking his way, maneuvering through the rather large crowd of both Justice Leaguers and police officers who had responded to the scene. With the exception of Zatanna, no one had noticed his presence yet; probably because Commissioner Gordon was having a screaming match with both Bruce Wayne and Batman in the middle of the wreckage.

" - the fuck could this have happened, Wayne? How?!"

Clark Kent, fully regaled in his Superman garb, stepped forward. "Commissioner, please, I insist you - "

"Insist what?" Jim whispered dangerously. "That I remain calm? That I play nice? My daughter is DEAD, Wonder Boy." Jim turned to glare at Batman. "I'm not going to play nice."

Commissioner Gordon grabbed hold of Batman's shoulder, and with a wild swing knocked Batman into the ground. If the crowd that had gathered gasped, it was lost by the sound of Jim Gordon pummeling Batman into the ground as a string of curses fell from his mouth.

"Commissioner Gordon, Commissioner, please - " Wonder Woman stepped through the officers, grabbed hold of Jim by the waist, and pulled him back. "You must stop," she exclaimed, fighting to hold back his arms. Bruce Wayne gave Batman a hand, who batted it away.

"It's nothing I don't deserve," he muttered. Diana turned around to glare at him, as if to say  _we'll be talking about that later._

Barry Allen suddenly appeared in front of Jim and grabbed his shoulders. "Jim, please! Barbara wouldn't want this!"

At his daughter's name, Jim's shoulders slumped forward. "Barbara," he whispered. Raising his hands to his eyes, he leaned into Barry's hug and began openly weeping. Nodding at Barry, Diana released Gordon, and with silent orders ushered the remaining policemen and CSI members out of the room. Lieutenant Essen walked over to Barry and Jim, put her arms around Jim, and began murmuring to him quietly as she led him out of the room. 

Zatanna slipped into the corner near Constantine and grabbed hold of his hand. "Is it possible - " she whispered.

Constantine turned to look at her, a warning gleam in his eye. "She's gone."

_But for how long?_ Zatanna turned her head to watch the circle of Justice Leaguers forming in the middle of the room.

_I don't know._

At Diana's nod, "Bruce Wayne" melted into the fully-sculpted figure of J'onn Jones, the Martian Manhunter. "Bruce," J'onn began, turning to face Batman. "How did this happen?"

"You told me this plan would be foolproof," Clark shook his head, kicking a large cement block away from the crowd. 

"This was a plan?" Diana asked in shock. "Since when did you get a child to compose your plans?"

Bruce took off his Batman mask and held it in his hands. "It needed to be simple. Nothing more simple than robbery."

"Where did you even get the byproduct from?" Hal Jordan replied.

Clark grabbed another cement block and ground it into a find dust. "He got it from me. I knew its explosive properties, but I'd always been able to handle it for a short amount of time without any negative effects. I didn't know Bruce was going to run tests first, and if he had shared his results with me, there's no way I would have agreed to let him use it."

Hal Jordan paused from shoveling away some of the wreckage with a giant green Zamboni. "What kind of tests?" 

Bruce glowered at Hal. "It was an accident. The Wayne ship got hijacked on our way back, and some gunman for hire tried to grab it. He dissolved on impact."

"So your initial plan was to trap them in here and have them arrested yet again, but instead you knowingly gave the Joker access to an incredibly unstable and dangerous organic weapon?" Diana growled. "What in the name of Zeus were you thinking, Bruce?"

"All of the Wayne Enterprises employees were supposed to be off-site this evening. I had this room reinforced for the byproduct. It would have contained the blast, and the Joker would have been finished, end of story."

"Then why was Barbara here?"

"I'll tell you." Supergirl herself stepped forward, glistening tears streaming down her face. Dinah Lance was at her side, barely stifling her sobs. "Because we made her feel unwanted. We abandoned her in her time of need, and she paid the price with her life - "

"Damn, overdramatic much?" 

"Hey, speak for yourself, blondie - "

" - Of course, my apologies, St. Allen."

"We were TRYING to protect her!"

"And you did a fabulous fucking job!"

"Dinah, please - "

"Don't you 'Dinah' me, Oliver Queen, you piece of - "

"She is right," J'onn spoke up again, silencing the feud that was stirring between the other leaguers. "We took away her choice to be a part of the family. We drove her here, to this moment. Her death is on our hands."

"DAMN IT!" Bruce threw his hood on the ground and held his head in his hands. 

Diana, looking distraught, moved to kneel down on the ground next to him.  _Well, now's as good a time as any,_ Constantine thought to himself. Clearing his throat, he stepped between Arthur and Oliver, making his way to the center of the group. 

Clark raised his head at the sound of shuffling feet. Finding Constantine in the crowd, he frowned. His disdain for the occult detective was renowned within the League. "Constantine. Now's not a good time - "

"Truly, you all have my deepest apologies. But there is another pressing matter at hand. Where is this byproduct?"

"Gone," Barry called from across the room. A gust of wind raced by, and Barry was at Constantine's side. "Bruce had me check everyone on site, and everyone within a five mile radius of the building. No glowing purple rock to be seen."

"What of the security footage?"

"All the cameras in the room blew with the explosion," Cyborg spoke up from his place next to Starfire. "There is no data available."

"It was probably destroyed in the explosion, then. Good to know," Constantine finished.

"Why are you concerned?" Clark asked him, distrust in his eyes.

Constantine took a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it with a snap of his fingers. "Something with the power to destroy gods is always my concern."

A sudden hush fell over the crowd as a solitary pair of footsteps echoed across the floor. Constantine turned to see Bruce's butler, Alfred Pennyworth, step lightly over the fallen debris. The usually pristinely kept butler's hair was askew, and there were tears in his eyes as he drew closer to a bloodied and crying Bruce Wayne.

"Mr. Wayne - "

"Not now, Alfred."

"Mr. Wayne - "

"Not NOW, Alfred - "

"Mr. Wayne - "

"NOT NOW, ALFRED!" Bruce's defiant stare shot upwards, meeting Alfred's saddened one. What exactly he saw in Alfred's eyes, Constantine wasn't sure, but the moment he made eye contact with his butler, something impossible happened.

Bruce Wayne sobbed. Tears streamed down his face, and the room fell into silence.

"Mr. Wayne," Alfred began, quieter this time. "It is time to go home."

Nodding, Bruce grabbed hold of Alfred's arm. He stood, and the two of them made their way towards the door. As they reached the door, Alfred turned back to face the other heroes. "I've had several rooms made up in the manor. You are welcome, if you wish to remain."

The silent procession of heroes began as they followed Bruce and Alfred out of the ruins. Clark, sending one last squint at Constantine and Zatanna, fell into line, carrying Kara with him, followed by a sobbing Dinah Lance in the arms of Oliver Queen.

Constantine remained silent until the last of the footsteps had faded into silence.

"The stone wasn't destroyed, was it?" Zatanna muttered.

Constantine exhaled, smoke billowing forth from his lips. "Nope."

"I take it you're heading out of town?"

He nodded sharply. "I'll be back soon. Mind giving me a boost?"

With a nod, Zatanna began to mutter a spell and pushed Constantine through the dimensional walls - 

Which is how he found himself in a sunny parlor with Doctor Stephen Strange, the bane of his existence, and a very alive Barbara Gordon.

___________________________________________________________________________________

"Constantine," Barbara breathed. She stepped out of her chair and threw herself into his arms. 

"Ouch, ouch, ouch, okay there Supergirl, I get it, you're glad to see me too!"

"Wait, what?" Barbara backed up, releasing him from her hold. "Why are you in pain?"

"A side effect of the Power Gem," Strange said with a smirk. "The teachings say that the Power Gem contains all power and energy that has ever and will ever exist. For the people who are able to control it for a time, it is said they gained superhuman strength and abilities. I'm certain that will be one of the benefits of being its Vessel."

"So the purple rock was an Infinity Stone then, huh? I had my suspicions."

Barbara stared at Constantine in shock. "How - "

Constantine took a long, comforting dreg from his cigarette before answering. "I've done some inter-dimensional travel before. I was fighting some cthonic demons with Zatanna when I ran into this weirdo," nodding at Strange, "trying to find something he called the Soul Gem. I helped him find the Gem, and he helped me destroy some cthonic demons. Not the worst trade I've ever made."

Strange snorted. "I assume it was Zatanna who sensed the aura?"

"You'd be correct," was Constantine's dry reply. He looked down at Barbara. "Glad to see you've kept your legs."

"I'm almost certain that's why the Gem integrated itself into your body," Charles supplied. "You won't have to worry about any breaking bones anytime soon."

"But what - "

"Tea first, then talk."

Ten minutes later, once Constantine had chugged his entire mug full of scalding earl grey tea, he leaned back in one of Charles' wicker rockers and began to speak. "I assume they've told you about the Infinity Stones, yes?"

Barbara nodded in reply as Strange muttered a not so quiet  _obviously_ under his breath.

Constantine ignored him. "From what I've been able to gather, the Power Gem ended up in our dimension – don't say 'obviously' again, you pouf," he said, looking pointedly at Strange. "My best guess is that it somehow fell into the hands of the Kryptonians, who kept it in their stores as a dangerous artifact, and it was sent away with Kal during the time of Krypton's destruction to earth, where it was kept in the Fortress of Solitude - "

"Until Bruce got involved, and he figured out it was dangerous in some capacity, and so he used it as bait to get rid of the Joker," Barbara finished.

"Bingo!"

"Then what's the problem?"

Running his hands through his hair, he sighed. "Here's the thing, Babs. There are no elemental energies like the Power Gem in our universe. It was meant to exist in this dimension, where there are other pieces that not only complete it, but are able to counteract its power. In order to keep both this universe, and our own, in a state of harmony, you have to spend the rest of your life here. To take it out of its element and return home, unanchored, unbalanced and unchecked, would only lead to chaos.

"Not saying that you can't ever return for a visit, or what not, but the Power Gem  _needs_ to be here. I'm certain we can find some "alien-resurrection" angle for when you do visit home, but until you learn to be in control of this thing, it's safest for everyone if you remain here."

Barbara shut her eyes, hoping to stop herself from crying once again. "Everyone back home – "

"They believe you're dead."

She didn't even try to stop the tears from falling now. Instead, she focused all of her energy not bursting into screaming sobs.  _There will be time for a full emotional breakdown later Babs; right now, you need to focus on the information at hand._

"And even if you could come home without throwing all of existence out of balance, it's best if you don't."

"Why is that, might I ask?" Charles questioned quietly.

"The Joker got away."

Immediately Barbara snapped back to attention, the sorrow at leaving behind her family forgotten. Her eyes turned to focus on him. If Constantine was unnerved by the fact that her eyes were glowing purple, he did an excellent job of not betraying it with his body, if he did say so himself. 

"How?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. I missed that part of the conversation."

"As long as he is free, Ms. Gordon, you are safer here," Xavier cut in.

"Agreed," Strange intoned. "Perhaps this will be the push your friends need to get their society back in shape. Although, based on your colleague over there - " he nodded at Constantine, "I wouldn't hold your breath."

Constantine chuckled darkly as he stood up. "We'll see about that."

Barbara hurried to her feet. "You're leaving already?"

"Yes. As much as it pains me to say it, you're in good hands here. Besides, it'll look suspicious if I'm gone for too long. I have - "  _a funeral to attend,_ he finished in his mind. Seeing the nearly bottomless pain in her eyes, he stayed his tongue and hugged her instead. "It's going to be all right.

"Now, be good and play nice with the minor leaguers over here. I'll be back to check up on you every once in a while. Strange, would you be a dear - "

With a few spins of his sling ring, a golden portal appeared in front of Constantine, who winked at the scowling sorceror. "Catch you later,  _Doctor_."

And with that, Constantine stepped from the warm parlor into a sewer. That smelled bad. Really, really bad. 

He stomped down on the space in front of him and felt something squish against his foot.

"Damnit, Strange," he muttered.

If Alfred thought it odd that Constantine arrived to Wayne Manor two hours later than anyone else, or that he smelled faintly of a hot garbage can, he didn't say anything. 

Zatanna saw him the moment he entered the dining room, which was stock full of cold food and heroes lost in thought. Walking over to her, he drew her into his arms and audibly sighed as he held her close.  _It's all going to be okay._

And while the rest of the room was filled with heroes and friends crying in sorrow, Zatanna cried into Jonathan's shoulder, filled with relief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! And with three chapters - this is flowing really well, but it's the end of semester for grad school, so things aren't happening as quickly as I would like writing-wise. I should be more free in a few weeks to do more frequent posting, but until then, enjoys these chapters! :)


	6. Too Good at Goodbye

The moment Constantine stepped back into her dimension was the moment that Barbara lost any residual adrenaline. She leaned back in her chair and shut her eyes, utterly drained.

"I think perhaps you should get some rest, Ms. Gordon," Charles urged. Wheeling over to his desk, he pressed a button, and Hank tiptoed into the room.

"Hank, please show Ms. Gordon back to her room. If you need anything at all, Ms. Gordon, please do not hesitate to ask." 

Barbara's silent nod was her only reply. Smiling sadly at Charles and Strange, Hank wheeled the young lady out of the room. The two men in the study remained silent until Charles felt Barbara's mind drift off into sleep.

"She is resting now," he muttered to Strange. Strange had been frowning ever since she had left the room. "What do you make of Ms. Gordon, Stephen?"

Strange dropped his head into his hands, his lithe fingers massaging his temples. "So young, to have seen so much pain – and with no end in sight - " He sighed deeply, letting his words fall off into silence.  Charles didn't reply; his silence was enough.

Strange finally moved to stand, readjusting his cloak as he moved. "I need to return to New York, check with some sources. These events are unfolding far too quickly for my likely. Will you - "

"Of course. Ms. Gordon may remain here as long as she wishes."

"Good," Strange barked out. "And in the meantime - "

"Should anything untoward occur, you will be the first to know," Charles finished Strange's thought. With a nod, Strange stepped through his sling-ring portal into his New York home, and Charles was left in the silence of his sunny study.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Barbara wasn't sure how much time had passed. Time had seemed to blur into an unending stream of sleep and tears. The moment Hank had wheeled her back into her room, she had thrown herself onto her bed and collapsed into a deep sleep. The sleep never lasted, though. In her dreams, she saw her father, Barry, Bruce, even Dick – everyone she had left behind, who then disappeared in a purple flash of light. The flash would cause her to wake up, and it was in the comfort of that lonely room that Barbara let herself sob until, exhausted from her tears, she would fall back into a restless sleep. It felt like she had been stuck in this pattern forever, until Barbara found herself waking up from a dream, only to see Charles looking out her window.

"I was beginning to worry about you, Ms. Gordon," Charles turned and wheeled towards her bed. "It has been four days since the last time we spoke. Are you hungry?"

Nodding, Barbara watched as Charles pressed a button on his chair, and then seemingly typed into the armrest. "Hank will fetch you some food from the kitchens and bring it up shortly." Charles cleared his throat and then moved closer to Barbara, grabbing her hand and holding it tenderly in his own. "Ms. Gordon, may I give you some advice?" Barbara nodded again, and then used her free hand to wipe away the grimy tear tracks from her face.

"While I may be able to read minds, even I will never be able to understand the depth of the pain you are feeling right now." Immediately Barbara's eyes filled up with tears and she began to hiccup. Charles smiled at her and squeezed her hand. "However, I do know something about loss. Life never promised to be fair to us; it just promised us the ability to choose our response to the unfairness of it all. 

"That being said, something I have learned from personal experience is to not let hardship control your life. You have been given a great gift, one that, while it is a great burden, will give you the ability to do amazing things. The loss you are suffering right now is just one moment in your life, and will prove to be a temporary loss; the greater loss would be if you chose to remain in this state of sadness, and didn't share your gifts with the world. Your family would want for you to be happy. And I truly believe, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that happiness is a choice."

Barbara began to cry harder. Charles leaned in and rested his forehead against her own. Smiling warmly, he wiped the tears away from her eyes. "It's okay to be happy here, Ms. Gordon. I hope and pray that you make that choice." Pulling away, Charles wheeled towards the door. "Hank should be here shortly with your food. When you would like to talk about your future, you can find me in my study."

The door shut softly behind Charles. Barbara felt herself going into convulsions when she heard a soft voice whisper her name in broken English. 

"Ms. - Gordon - "

Barbara sat straight up and peered over at the nightstand next to her bed. "A.L.F.R.E.D.?"

"Present – Ms. - Gordon - "

Barbara scrambled off the edge of her bed and all but threw herself at the nightstand. Pulling open the top drawer she found her Wayne Enterprises watch – although it was a bit more burned than it was previously. Grabbing hold of the watch, she wrapped it around her wrist and tapped on the screen. "A.L.F.R.E.D.? Can you hear me?"

"Very well, Ms. - Gordon - ."

She almost burst into hysterical laughter at this sound of A.L.F.R.E.D.'s voice. "What is your operating system at?"

"47%. I will need – new hardware soon."

A determined glint appeared in Barbara's eyes as she wiped away the rest of her tears. "Just hold on, Alfred. I can fix this." Then, quietly to herself, she repeated it. "I can fix this."

A rapping sound cut through the silence. "Ms. Gordon? It's Hank - "

Barbara launched herself towards the door and threw it open. "Hank – I thought you were blue?"

Hank shrugged sheepishly. "I can turn it on or off, more or less. I brought your food - "

"I need a work space, soldering tools, the highest-processing computer you have access to, and the strongest glass you have in this universe."

Nodding shakily, Barbara grabbed hold of Hank and led him down the stairs.

"Ms. Gordon, your food - "

"Food can wait; it's time for science."

____________________________________________________________________________________

Hank had been incredibly overwhelmed during Barbara's first foray into his domain. Whether it had to do with her incessant chattering about the supplies she needed, the fact that she fell asleep mid-sentence after three hours of non-stop programming, or that she knocked over his expense tea stand in the process, Hank soon-after established some ground rules for Barbara working in his lab. They were as follows:

  1. Rhetorical monologues are not allowed. 


  1. You must take a ten minute break every two hours to prevent starvation, collapse, or any other unpleasant sort of bodily function from occurring in the lab. 


  1. Stay away from the expensive tea stand. If you want tea, you go through Hank. 



In all honesty, Hank would have added more to the list, but Charles was so happy that the new girl was being productive, that Hank let the rest of her potential infractions slide. And after a slightly tense first day with the new rules, Hank and Barbara soon fell into a pattern. Her technological genius was practically unparalleled. Forget Stark and Richards; this girl could take over the world. So, out of a sense of duty to the civilized world, as well as unending curiosity, Hank assisted Barbara in her tasks, beginning with an update to her A.I.'s system and wearable tech. Creating an artificial intelligence was almost entirely out of Hank's wheelhouse, but he was able to modify the watch design to withstand even more destructive force. 

It had only taken two and half days for A.L.F.R.E.D. to reboot at full capacity.

"Program online. Good afternoon, Ms. Gordon."

Barbara teared up as she wrapped the sleeker watch around her wrist. "Good afternoon, A.L.F.R.E.D."

The AI was silent for a moment, before whirring back into action. "I'm afraid that I am unable to pinpoint our location."

"I'm not surprised," Barbara replied. "Hank, do you mind - "

The scientist – who was currently covered with fuzzy blue fur and hanging upside down – dropped himself down off of the metal jungle gym around the perimeter of the lab and punched a button on Barbara's borrowed laptop, before resuming his previous position. 

"Commencing download of information," A.L.F.R.E.D. intoned. A few seconds of silence went by. "Download complete. Updating servers." More silence. Then, finally, "Well. This is quite a predicament."

"You can say that again."

A.L.F.R.E.D. whirred, processing the files once again. "The information provided by the Doctor Strange and Professor Xavier does indicate that the best course of action is to remain here for the time being. Are you self-sufficient?"

Snorting, Barbara walked over to the laptop and pulled up a search engine. "Not yet, but I will be."

"How may I be of service, Ms. Gordon?"

She grinned as she pulled up the FBI's "Most Wanted" database. "Let's make an investment in our future, shall we?"

__________________________________________________________________________________

- _News coming from the Pentagon this morning that the Mandarin has been captured by U.S. forces. This is the third criminal off the FBI's Most Wanted list that has been captured in the last eight days. Inside sources say that anonymous hacking group Oracle has been providing the intel. However, the identities of those hackers remain a mystery. Newly appointed Head of Defense Stern issued a statement in cooperation with CIA Director Marshall -_

_\- Assure the public that there is no need for concern at this time. Any assistance provided by outside hackers is thoroughly vetted by our team, and the input provided by the group "Oracle" has had no significant bearing on any recent federal operation -_

_-Matt, we've been running the calculations, and if the leaks coming out of the Pentagon are correct, Oracle is much larger than initial estimations. What I've heard from my sources is that the information being sent to the Pentagon is 99.67% thorough – essentially, these hackers are able to see almost everywhere at all times. It would take at least 40 highly trained and experienced hackers to even get close to the precise data being submitted -_

_-No public statement from "Oracle" yet. Could this be nothing more than an elaborate ruse by our government, meant to cover up a potentially rights-encroaching technology that would put our freedoms as citizens under attack -_

_-Clearly doing some good. Maybe the President should get rid of our clearly ineffective security system and employ Oracle instead! -_

_-White House is investigating these intelligence leaks, and has promised to alert the public once they've reached the end of their investigation. Back to you, Cheryl._

"I see someone's been busy."

Barbara smiled at Hank over her laptop. "Just doing my job."

"And doing it so well that the entire country is in a tailspin," Hank smirked, settling down on the sofa in Barbara's designated corner of the lab. "Why'd you go after such high profile targets again?"

Barbara sighed, shutting the screen on her laptop. "I want to make a difference. I might not be able to be Batgirl here, but I still have my brain. And with A.L.F.R.E.D. on my side, it's as easy as pie." She paused before shooting a smirk in Hank's direction. "Also, the money's not too bad."

"So you're not worried they'll trace it back to you?"

"I've analyzed all of Stark's patents. My codes were more than enough to crack LutherCorp; Stark Industries is practically a breeze."

Hank shook his head, and then frowned. "Just how much - "

"Enough," Barbara smiled. "And, with A.L.F.R.E.D.'s minute to minute market analysis - "

"The current numbers are well over seven figures, sir," A.L.F.R.E.D. replied.

Groaning, Hank sat down, removed his glasses, and began to rub his eyes. "You're not doing anything - "

"I believe plausible deniability may be the best course of action in this scenario, Hank." Xavier wheeled into the room. Winking at Barbara, he came to a rest next to her makeshift desk. "I'm glad to find both of you here, actually. Strange is on his way with important news."

A great golden circle appeared in the room, and suddenly Stephen Strange was stepping into the laboratory. "Beating me to the punch again, Charles?"

Charles turned to face Stephen with a grin. "You just make it so easy - "

Strange doubled over and began to cough. In the midst of his coughing fit, Barbara swore she could hear him mutter  _bastard_ , to Charles' amusement. 

Clearing his throat, Strange straightened up. "Well, oof, glad I got that out of my system. Eh hemm!" He cleared his throat. "Oh, yes, I feel much better now."

"I was just telling Hank and Ms. Gordon - "

"Please, Charles, call me Barbara."

Xavier beamed at her. "Apologies, I was just telling Hank and Barbara that you have some news for us." The smile on his face fell instantly as he examined Steven's dour expression. "Although not as good as I hoped."

"Thor's astrophysicist girlfriend, the Incredible Sulk and Stark have put their heads together and created a device that is able to pick up on alien frequencies generated by the Infinity Stones."

Hank frowned. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"Not when you're trying to hide," Barbara whispered.

Strange nodded, then wiped his brow. "Exactly."

"How are they able to find these frequencies?"

"Unfortunately, this was partially my doing. I allowed them to study the Eye's radioactive output, and I know for a fact Thor had access to two of the other gems. They must have consolidated their findings and isolated an emission baseline. A baseline that, unfortunately, leaves a trace."

"Wait, wait, wait – emission baseline?" Hank's head whipped back and forth between Barbara and Strange. "As in radioactive emissions?"

"Completely harmless, McCoy. But traceable nonetheless. However, thanks to their relatively primitive technology, the presence can't be precisely pinpointed. The longer its presence on earth, the further the baseline emissions spread. Currently, there's a 100-mile emission radius surrounding Long Island. I've had the Soul Stone long enough to create a buffer, as it will."

"So unless I'm within this buffer - " Barbara began.

" - people will begin to notice another baseline emanating out of the United States. And frankly, the less S.H.I.E.L.D. knows about this, the better."

"So what does this mean?" Hank jumped in. 

Barbara smiled before turning to look Hank in the eye. "It means that I'm moving to New York."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you haven't noticed by now, all my chapter titles are song titles. Why? Well, I build playlists for each character/fic as I write - I find it a really helpful way to create storylines in my head when I don't have time to write them down immediately. Having the music helps me get ready for my next writing session :) If you have any music suggestions, feel free to drop them here, I'm always up to listen to some new tunes!


	7. Midnight City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to New York, Batgirl!

"That should be the last of it," Barbara announced as she opened the door for her movers. "Logan, be careful! That hardware is incredibly expensive!"

Moving aside, Barbara watched as a thoroughly displeased Logan Howlett paraded into her duplex. She glanced over at Raven, who was currently arranging a bouquet of flowers that had appeared out of nowhere. "Don't worry, wolfie, we'll get more help next time."

Logan dropped the box down with a thud, ignoring Barbara's grimace. "There better not be a next time."

With a flourish, Raven stepped away from the floral arrangement and sashayed her way into the room. "You will be missed, you know."

"Maybe by some people," Logan grumbled.

"Oh hush." Jean Grey walked into the room, followed closely by Scott Summers. 

"He's just upset that you won't be around to brew his coffee anymore," Scott smirked at Logan, causing the latter to roll his eyes and begin muttering to himself. 

"I'll miss you too. It'll be strange, being here. You know you're all welcome to visit whenever you'd like. And Logan," Barbara pulled a brown paper bag from behind a stack of computer parts, "I reprogrammed this coffee maker and ordered you some of that Chilean blend." She handed him the bag of coffee components. 

Logan took it without hesitation. Barbara swore she heard him mutter something like "not gonna be the same", but it wasn't loud enough to fully comprehend, which was assuredly Logan's intention. Smiling, she wrapped her arms around him, ignoring his growl. 

"Yeah, yeah, see you later, Red." With that, Logan stalked out the door. 

Raven rolled her eyes, but stepped forward and hugged Barbara goodbye as well. Jean and Scott followed suit, with promises they'd come visit in a few weeks. 

As they exited the duplex, Charles wheeled into the room with Hank at his heels.

"Don't tell Logan, but I'll miss you two the most."

Charles smiled, took Barbara's hand in his, and rubbed it comfortingly. "And we will miss you too, Ms. Gordon. If there is ever is anything you need, do not hesitate to ask."

"Especially because Charles will know you want it anyway," Hank snorted. 

Barbara gave Charles a quick hug before turning to Hank. "I'll take that as your way of saying you'll miss me too," she replied, quirking her eyebrow at him.

Hank smiled shyly at her. "Well, it will be nice to have my tea collection to myself - "

Laughing, Barbara pulled Hank in for a hug. She could feel him tense against her. The moment she pulled back, he made a beeline for the door, a faint blush staining his cheeks.

Charles began to wheel his way towards the door. "He left you some tea in your pantry. Frankly, that was even more of a surprise than Logan's reticence at your departure.

"But like I said Ms. Gordon, if you need anything, anything at all, feel free to call." Pausing, he turned to look at her. "Oh, and if you run across a mercenary named Deadpool, will you ask him to get in contact with me? He needs to come in for his annual physical."

Frowning, Barbara nodded slowly back. "Sure?"

Charles grinned. "Excellent. Good luck, Ms. Gordon." He turned back towards the door, and wheeled his way into the early evening. "You'll do great."

Barbara watched as Kurt jumped the X-Men back to their manor, shutting her door after Xavier had disappeared into the night with a final crack. She turned and leaned against it, taking in her surroundings.

Even with all of the funds she'd amassed from Oracle, buying a place in New York City was outrageously expensive. It had taken a few days, but she had finally found an old brownstone in the Upper West Side that had been turned into a duplex. Falsifying the documents she would need in order to purchase a house – as a citizen of this dimension – had taken the better part of an evening and three mugs filled with English blend tea, but it had worked like a charm. She'd had to pay a bit extra to get the closing rushed, but with Raven's help, the lawyers didn't stand a chance. It was exactly eight days after Strange's announcement regarding the Stark Industries Transcontinental Cosmic Omissions Microscope, and Barbara was now a resident of New York City.

She'd gotten a weird feeling of déjà vu driving through the city. Some things were familiar – Starbucks on almost every corner, the Statue of Liberty, Central Park – but the streets were slightly different, named after cultural references that were unfamiliar. It was in the same position geographically as Gotham, but it felt much more like Metropolis, and the dissonance between her past and this new dimension gave her a headache.

Now, however, it was completely quiet. Too quiet, if Barbara was being honest with herself. She'd been avoiding silence since her breakdown, because if it was quiet, she began to think, and if she began to think, then she immediately thought about painful things, and thinking about painful things - 

"A.L.F.R.ED., play some tunes."

"What would you prefer, Ms. Gordon?"

"Perform a genre analysis, and play me the biggest hits of the last 100 years."

"Initializing playback."

The sound of trumpets issued forth from the speaker on the side of her watch, and Barbara relaxed. 

"Perfect. Time to unpack."

_______________________________________________________________________________

It had taken about 13 hours straight, but Barbara finally had all of her tech up and running in the basement of her duplex, which she had converted into a miniature Batcave. Several large flatscreens were mounted on one of the walls. A large desk was placed near the front of the room with several keyboards and an industrial size Wifi router that was blinking erratically. On the left side of the room was A.L.F.R.E.D.'s security feed, showing visuals from outside the duplex, as well as every entrance into Barbara's space, windows included. On the left side was a mini-fridge and a loveseat that was piled high with blankets, just in case. Finally, located in the far back of the room were several tall, empty equipment lockers. Barbara purchased them on a whim; she didn't intend to take up the mantle here, but it was better to be prepared than not.

A.L.F.R.E.D. started playing soft piano music at Ms. Gordon's 22nd  Hour of Consciousness, enticing to Barbara sleep through most of the next day. She finally awoke at two p.m. and proceeded to unpack the remainder of her sparse belongings and eat some takeout before falling back asleep, this time in her normal bed. 

Monday brought along a large bout of online shopping. She'd only had the few outfits Jean had sent with her, and had almost no household appliances or other accessories. As such, she made a massive amount of orders, buying everything from jean shorts to leather boots to a panini maker to an espresso machine to a custom-ordered black Ducati bike. All of that shopping had made her hungry, and as she moved to order take out for the third time in two days, she decided to order fresh produce instead.

Seeing just how quickly her funds had run down, Barbara proceeded to spend the next week and a half glued to her computer screens, tracking down and electronically incapacitating the FBI's Current #1 Most Wanted criminal. It had taken her a bit longer than average, but the payout at the end of the nine days was worth it.

Between her work, unpacking all thirty seven boxes of her purchases, and adding A.L.F.R.E.D.'s mainframe technology into her gorgeous Ducati, Barbara had almost forgotten that she was in New York City, not Gotham. In fact, it wasn't until she turned on the news late Friday evening that she remembered just which dimension she was occupying. 

_" - Several rogue_ _Hammertech_ _bots wreaked havoc earlier this afternoon in downtown Manhattan - "_

_" - Avengers were quickly on the case, resolving the disturbance in a matter of minutes - "_

_" - Stark's statement to the press warning against trying to replicate the Iron Man project - "_

_" - my grandmother could make a better robot. And she didn't make it through high school. I'm almost more upset with just how terrible these bots are than with - "_

_" - once_ _again_ _a reminder that the Avengers are here, and they are here to stay."_

Barbara sat on the sofa in her Batcave, flipping through the various news reports of the Hammer attack in Manhattan. She took another large bite of her fettuccini alfredo, humming as she watched a giant green monster rip the head off of a robot.

"Hey, A.L.F.R.E.D.?" Barbara said between bites. 

"Yes, Ms. Gordon?"

"Just how secure are S.H.I.E.L.D.'s server?"

"The ORACLE virus should be able to infiltrate and extract whatever information you require without notice."

"Great. If you could get me everything they have on the Avengers, and bring it front and center?"

"Of course, Ms. Gordon. Infiltration initialized. Downloading. Download complete."

The news report disappeared from the flat screen. Several file folders took their place as ORACLE's virtual desktop appeared. 

Stuffing a last bite of fettuccini into her mouth, Barbara grabbed her wireless keyboard and mouse and set them on her lapdesk. 

"Files are ready to be viewed, Ms. Gordon."

"Excellent. Can we put a bug in their servers?"

"The Mirror Master protocol would be the best option. Their server code is filled mirroring data; I should be able to insert the bug without their detection."

"Go for it, and let me know once it's all set." Barbara clicked on the first folder, and the file burst open, with images, documents and videos flooding the screen. Typing a command into her keyboard, the files quickly sorted themselves.

"Mirror Master protocol has been completed, Ms. Gordon. My readings are indicating that the S.H.I.E.L.D. server scans haven't noticed the code insertion. I will advise you if that changes."

"Perfect. Can you scan these Avengers files, narrate, and display information based on its security import?"

"Of course." A.L.F.R.E.D. processed for a few moments. "Avengers Initiative files sorted. Beginning narrative.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. was founded in the late 1940s, following the end of the Second World War."

"Can you create a report for me later with pertinent historical information on this dimension?"

"Of course, Ms. Gordon. Resuming narration. The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, or S.H.I.E.L.D., was founded with the purpose of executing covert operations with the end goal of neutralizing catastrophic global events. It is the only agency currently in existence that is able to effectively manage extra-terrestrial, magic-based, or mutant-based occurrences. Nicholas Fury is currently serving as the Public Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., and was the founder of the Avengers Initiative. 

"The goal of the Avengers Initiative was to form a team comprised of the most able individuals to defend Earth from catastrophic threats that were too great for ordinary forces to handle. The Avengers were first publicly seen in what is now being referred to as The Battle of New York. They are currently operating almost exclusively out of Stark Tower, in the middle of downtown Manhattan. Would you prefer for me to go into the details of the Battle of New York, or would you prefer to review the member dossiers?"

"The dossiers, I think. I'll read their files on the Battle of New York later tonight."

"Excellent. I will mark those files to be printed.

"First dossier: Tony Stark, Codename Iron Man. Owner and Head of Research and Development at Stark Industries. Net worth exceeding ten billion dollars. In a relationship with Pepper Potts, the current CEO of Stark Industries. Both Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts currently reside in Stark Tower. After getting kidnapped by Obadiah Stane, the former CEO of Stark Industries, Tony Stark created the Iron Man suit. The suit is powered by a compact Arc Reactor that also keeps the bomb fragments imbedded in his chest from reaching his heart through a powerful magnetic field. Originally decreed as too dangerous to recruit for narcissistic and self-destructive behavior, he was kept on file by S.H.I.E.L.D. as a consult, before becoming a fully-fledged member at the battle of New York. The Iron Man suit has prehensible technology, a plasma-penetration unibeam, flight capability, tactical weaponry, remote control and self-repair capabilities, advanced compulsion, and is waterproof."

Barbara snorted at that last note before standing up to make some tea. "Impressive."

"Quite," A.L.F.R.E.D. replied dryly before moving on.  _"_ Clint Barton, Codename Hawkeye. Expertly trained assassin specializing in archery and hand to hand combat. S.H.I.E.L.D. recruit that was later added to the Avengers Initiative by Director Fury in the early stages of the program. Originally part of a family circus act, Barton became a mercenary at a young age before he was recruited for S.H.I.E.L.D. No living familial relations, other personal relationship data is unavailable. Currently reports directly to Nick Fury. Commonly partnered with Operative Codename Black Widow. Agent Barton currently resides in Stark Tower.

"Natasha Romanoff, full name Natalia Alianovna Romanoff, Codename Black Widow. Recruited at an early age by the KGB, programmed as a part of their Red Room initiative, Romanoff is an experienced assassin trained in several martial arts and is a master of hand-to-hand combat. Preferred weapon is the Widow's Bite; I've sent available blueprints to your tablet. Recruited by Operative Codename Hawkeye after he disrupted her assassination attempt on a foreign official. Codename Hawkeye was charged with eliminating Romanoff, but took her on as his partner instead. Psychological evaluations suggest it took some time for Romanoff to let go of her earlier KGB programming, but her records indicate that she is the most dangerous of the Avengers recruited by Nick Fury. Agent Romanoff currently resides in Stark Tower.

Barbara sat back down on the couch with her tea, grabbed her tablet, and skimmed through the Widow's Bite blueprints. "Fascinating. Think we can replicate it?"

"I will place the order for materials immediately. Thor, God of Thunder, Codename Thor."

Barbara quirked an eyebrow. "God of Thunder?"

"Apparently. Alien hailing from the planet Asgard, Thor has the unique ability to wield control lightning using his hammer, Mjolnir. My calculations suggest his strength is comparable to that of Diana. Age and background unknown. His brother is Loki of Asgard, who led the attack against the Avengers during the Battle of New York. Currently known for splitting time between this realm and Asgard. Currently in a relationship with astrophysicist Jane Foster. Known to associate with Asgardians Sif, Fandral, Volstagg, and Hogun. Partners frequently with Operative Codename the Hulk. Thor, God of Thunder, resides in Stark Tower when in this realm.

"Doctor Bruce Banner, Codename Hulk. Due to a laboratory accident, in which Doctor Banner was exposed to massive amounts of Gamma radiation, Doctor Banner has the unique ability to transform into what Operative Codename Iron Man calls a "giant, green rage monster." Data estimations suggest that the Hulk is, physically, the strongest member of the team. I've ran a simulation, and my findings indicate that Superman himself would be hard-pressed to overthrow the Hulk on his own. Doctor Banner currently resides in Stark Tower.

"Captain Steve Rogers, Codename Captain America. Born in 1918, hails from Brooklyn, New York. At the age of 25, Captain Rogers was recruited by Abraham Erskine to take part in Project: Rebirth. The goal of Project: Rebirth was to create the ultimate Super Soldier via Erskine's Super Soldier Serum. The Project was a success, transforming Steve Rogers from this, into this."

A before and after photo comparison of the man appeared on the screen in front of Barbara. "Wow," she murmured, setting the forgotten tablet on the seat next to her.

"While initially only used for propaganda initiatives, Rogers infiltrated and freed an entire battalion of Allied soldiers in January 1944. From that point forward, he led a squad of highly trained military officers known as the Howling Commandos, who systematically shut down HYDRA-affiliated encampments throughout Europe. In the early spring of 1945, Rogers commandeered a HYDRA airship filled with missiles intended for United States cities. He drove the airship down into the Arctic, and was presumed dead for almost seventy years."

Barbara leaned back on the couch in stunned silence as A.L.F.R.E.D.'s narration continued. "The airship Captain Rogers commandeered was discovered early last year, along with Captain Rogers, whose body had froze upon impact. After a very lengthy melting process, the Captain reemerged from his hibernated state and was immediately recruited by Director Fury for the Avengers Initiative. In terms of skills and abilities, Captain Rogers possesses remarkable strength, speed, agility, stamina, endurance, reflexes, durability, and extraordinary regenerative capabilities. There is little data on his interpersonal relationships; childhood friend James Buchanan Barnes was a part of his Howling Commandos squad and perished in early 1944. Former beau and founder of S.H.I.E.L.D. Margaret "Peggy" Carter turned 97 years old last month, and currently resides in a Long Island nursing home. Captain Rogers currently resides with the rest of the Avengers in Stark Tower.

"Those are the only current Avengers operatives, Ms. Gordon. Would you care to review the personnel files of support staff?"

Barbara shook her head, images of raging gods, monsters, and men out of time racing about her head. "Let's save that information for later, A.L.F.R.E.D. I need to sleep on all this information."

"Of course, Ms. Gordon."

_____________________________________________________________________________________

It was nine days, seven hours, and forty two minutes later that A.L.F.R.E.D.'s "Keep Primary User Properly Socialized" protocol kicked into effect.

"Ms. Gordon, I know that you are in the middle of an incredibly important project - "

The sound of the blender whirred back to life. "What? I can't hear you, I'm making a protein shake!"

A.L.F.R.E.D. paused, waiting until the sound of the blender died down. "As I was saying, I am aware that you are in the midst of an important project, Ms. Gordon - "

"I swear, this blend is going to be the one, I know it is!"

"But my data indicates that it has been 21 days, thirteen hours, and seven minutes since your last interpersonal human interaction."

Barbara hurriedly pressed the button on the blender again. "I can't hear you!"

A.L.F.R.E.D., not unlike his human counterpart, had the patience of a saint, and remained silent until the blender had once again stopped. "Studies show that it is imperative for a sense of happiness and contentment with one's life that a human has at least three meaningful interpersonal interactions a day."

"But - "

"No buts, Ms. Gordon. Don't you think the time has come to explore your new realm of residence?"

Barbara sighed and poured the greenish drink into her glass. "I'd rather not."

"May I ask the reason for you reluctance, Ms. Gordon?"

Walking over to her front window, Barbara sat on the window seat, folded her legs underneath her, and watched cars drive to and fro down the sunny street. "Because the minute I go outside, all of this all becomes real. When I'm here, I can pretend that I'm still in Gotham. I can pretend I'm home."

A.L.F.R.E.D. was silent for a moment, calculating his response. After a bit of silence, the warm voice filtered through her watch's speakers. "This world is your home now, Ms. Gordon. It is better to seize the moment than to save the pain for a different day."

Barbara laughed sadly. "That sounds exactly like something Alfred would really say."

"Well, I do have the best of programmers."

Barbara's laugh was light and joyful this time. She watched a few more cars drive up and down the street before sighing. "What do you suggest, A.L.F.R.E.D.?"

"The Ducati has not yet been tested. It would be in the best interest of the Batcycle program for you to familiarize yourself with both the city's layout."

"Deal," Barbara nodded to herself. "Let's start there."

____________________________________________________________________________________

The Ducati purred to life between her legs. Kicking up the cycle stand, Barbara secured the strap under her chin and readjusted the black helmet until it fit comfortably on her head.

"A.L.F.R.E.D., current drive information."

"Good afternoon, Ms. Gordon. The current time is 3:14 in the afternoon. There is currently a 27 minute delay on Broadway, due to a collision at the Madison Square intersection. Do you have a destination in mind?"

Barbara hummed as she hit the button to her garage door. "How about this Stark Tower I've been hearing so much about?"

"Of course. Initializing fastest route search." The left side of the glass on Barbara's helmet lit up with A.L.F.R.E.D.'s holographic display. "Search recorded. Estimated arrival time; 14 minutes."

"Excellent. A.L.F.R.E.D., it's time for a spin." With a rev of the engine, Barbara sped out of her garage, took a sharp left out of her small driveway, and tore down the asphalt.

Houses and trees turned from a surrealist painting into a colorful blur as she banked onto the highway. Merging over to the far left lane, Barbara hit the gas and zoomed past countless backed up cars. She heard loud honks as she drove by and laughed in spite of herself.

"Exit approaching in 1.3 miles on the right. Please merge when able." Slowing down slightly, Barbara took advantage of her bike's compact size and zoomed between an armored van and stretch limousine, making a last minute exit onto the off ramp towards Stark Tower.

Barbara found she could no longer ignore the scenery around her. Coming to a stop at a crowded intersection, Barbara set her feet firmly on the ground and gazed in awe at the city around her. Countless tall buildings gleamed brightly near the top, as if they were fighting each other for the sun. 

The light turned green, and Barbara sped ahead. "Stark Tower approaching in 0.7 miles," A.L.F.R.E.D. intoned. "I have located several cafes nearby that will provide an optimal viewing of the Tower. The shop with the highest daily traffic and a 99.87% unobstructed view is Stark Coffee, located directly across the street from the Tower."

"What's the likelihood of encountering a member of the team?"

"Highly unlikely. Stark Coffee is only open to the public from 3:00-7:00 pm daily. Only Stark Industries employees – and Avengers – are able to access it in the morning."

"What, are there bouncers outside or something?"

"Yes, according to current personnel records. Stark Coffee approaching in 0.2 miles on your left."

The streets became congested almost simultaneously with A.L.F.R.E.D.'s words. Barbara found herself skidding to a stop behind several rows of taxis. The sidewalks were flooded with people on their phones, several of whom were wearing screen tees of the Avengers logo. 

"Spot available on your left." Obeying A.L.F.R.E.D's command, Barbara squeezed her bike between two parked cars that were parked next to the sidewalk. 

"Earring mic activated." In addition to a field test for her Ducati, it was the perfect opportunity for a field test of another toy she created. The A.L.F.R.E.D watch was a near-perfect piece of tech, but Barbara had realized she needed something a bit more inconspicuous for when she wanted to interact with the AI in public. So, after a long night of hunting terrorists, Barbara had created earrings that looked like simple cubic zirconia studs, but were in fact compact cameras with full audio input and output capability. 

Pulling her helmet off her head, Barbara shook out her hair and secured the chin strap around the handle of her bike. "Run functionality scan."

"Scanned. Earring receptors 94.7% functional. Remaining percentage working to sift through background noise."

She sighed as she watched people continuously stream past her on the sidewalk, trying to get into Stark Coffee as fast as possible. "To be expected, I suppose. Engage bike lock."

"Bike lock engaged."

Kicking down the kickstand, Barbara swung her legs onto the sidewalk and found herself swept up in the mob of people trying to enter Stark Coffee. There were a few irritated looking professionals there, talking loudly into their cell phones, but most of the line was made up of college-age students, posing and taking selfies in front of the shop. A middle-aged woman with long brown hair was standing on a chair outside Stark Coffee, trying to wrangle the crowd via the use of a megaphone, but to no avail.

" - Orderly line, please. The sooner you line up, the sooner you'll get inside. Everyone – everyone, just - sir, shoving is not necessary - "

Two twenty-something guys up ahead started pushing each other. The shorter of the two said something to the other before taking a wild swing. The crowd surged forward as people pushed their cell phones towards the fighters, trying to get it all captured on video.

"A.L.F.R.E.D?"

"According to my simulations, if some sort of intervention doesn't occur within 11 seconds, this fight will escalate."

The woman on top of the chair started yelling, and a young man wearing a Stark Coffee polo burst out of the front of the shop. She said something to him – Barbara wasn't sure what exactly, the yelling had gotten much too loud – but whatever it was, it sent the man forward, into the fray.

Barbara elbowed her way through, trying to get a closer look at the newcomer. "Any ID on the new guy?"

A.L.F.R.E.D said something, but Barbara couldn't hear him over a sudden roar of the crowd. "What?" She hollered back.

A.L.F.R.E.D spoke up again, this time louder. "Personnel records identify him as Peter Parker. S.H.I.E.L.D. files ID him as the vigilante hero known as Spider-Man."

Barbara stared forward as Peter tried to force the two men apart. "Well, shit."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY getting some MCU characters in here! I'm so excited, you guys :) Thanks so much for reading so far! Much love to you all!


	8. This Girl

The analog clock on the wall slowly ticked towards 3 p.m. Peter Parker wiped his brow and grumbled at the slowly moving hand. "I hate working this shift."

MJ snorted in reply from her spot behind the espresso machine. "I hate when you do too, Parker."

"Hey!"

Rolling her eyes, the petite redhead walked over to Peter. Today her bobbed red hair was partially pulled back, and she had swapped out her nose ring for a tasteful diamond. "Parker, you know I love you more than life itself, but you're hopeless when it comes to making coffee - "

"I am not - "

"Which means I'm stuck behind the espresso machine the whole shift."

Peter opened his mouth, ready to retort, but MJ lifted her hand and shut his jaw with a snap. Then she patted his cheek, smiling sweetly. "I do appreciate you covering Gwen's shift, but we both know it's true."

Rolling his eyes, Peter pawed at MJ's hand. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Why couldn't your girl make it in again?"

"She has that big interview with Stark Industries. Something about being the lab assistant for Dr. Banner? I don't know, she'd be a lab assistant for some scientist."

"Really? A scientist? Who'd have expected that?"

Peter laughed as he dodged a flying chocolate covered espresso bean. "Watch yourself, Parker," MJ hollered, but she couldn't help laughing with her reply either.

Aunt Mae came power walking out of the back. "You two ready?" She asked them with a smile.

"As ready as I'll ever be," MJ mumbled.

Mae rolled her eyes. "It'll be fine. Harry and Miles will be up front to help in a bit. Peter, thanks for taking the extra shift. I know you prefer to do the baking - "

Peter held up his hand, smiling at his aunt. "Really, Aunt Mae, don't worry about it. I'm always happy to help."

Grinning, Mae leaned over the counter to kiss Peter on the cheek. "You're the best nephew/amateur baker a woman could ask for."

"I could ask for a better coworker - "

This time it was Peter who threw a chocolate covered espresso bean at MJ.

"You two! Those cost money!"

"Yeah, they cost Tony Stark money."

"I have it on good authority that Mr. Stark accepts bean flinging as a good use of his funds."

Peter grabbed Mae's apron from the front and handed it to her over the counter. "I just don't want to abuse his generosity, Peter. He's done a lot for us."

"Oh, I know." That he did. Peter had tried to keep his identity a secret – tried, and failed. Because apparently when you have an all-knowing Artificial Intelligence capable of hacking everything and anything, anonymity is hard to come by. And after a long shouting match with Tony Stark about privacy laws and patriotic responsibility, he'd somehow ended up with a salaried job at Stark's newest coffee venture, as well as a cushy management position for Aunt Mae. Tony had said something about "Ohana means family, and family means no one is left behind" or something like that, and Peter had been too stunned that Tony Stark had _Lilo and Stitch_ quotes memorized to fully comprehend the whole Stark Coffee gig. Aunt Mae was thrilled, of course; working at Stark Coffee meant Peter could fully fund his graduate school, and Aunt Mae could leave behind all the odd jobs she'd worked to make ends meet. Truthfully, Peter had suspected Tony came up with the whole "Stark Coffee" thing just so he could hide the fact that he wanted to provide financially for Peter and Mae, but he denied it every time he brought it up. Pepper had just smiled when Peter asked her, and, well, that answered his question well enough.

So, no matter how much he complained about working during their "rush" hours, he never really meant it. Tony Stark had given him and Aunt Mae a new start, and nothing could ever repay that.

That didn't mean working the afternoon shift sucked less, though.

"Peter! I need you outside, now!"

Peter finished ringing up a customer and looked at the clock. "3:17. That's got to be a new record," he called over to Mary Jane, who just snorted in reply. Since Stark Coffee had exclusive hours, the evening shift was notorious for being overly crowded, which led to what Aunt Mae called "minor disputes" pretty regularly. Usually, it just meant separating two hissy people, but it normally didn't start to happen until at least 45 minutes into the shift.

"PETER! OUT HERE NOW!" He heard Mae holler over the megaphone.

"Excuse me," he smiled at the next customer, "I'll be just a moment." He made his way over to the door, sighing as he brushed past some other customers. "Mae, what - "

He heard a large swell of gasps from the crowd, as well as the sound of flesh hitting flesh. He turned over to the line and saw two buff guys in NYU sweatshirts duking it out. The guys were immediately surrounded by other male NYU students, who had formed a circle around the boys and recording the fight on their phones. He could hear cheers of "Go Chad!", and "Kill the little bitch, Mike!" from those guys.

"Call the cops!" Peter called to Mae as he pushed through the crowd to try to get to the fighting men. However, the swell of people was pushing closer, trying to get a better view of the fight, so by the time Peter reached the two men, both were bleeding from several open wounds.

The shorter of the two men stood back, wiped his nose onto his hand, and moved to throw another punch just as Peter jumped in the way.

"Stop!" Peter ducked as the fist shot past, narrowly missing his head.

"Yeah, Chad; stop!" The taller man mimicked Peter's voice, albeit in a much higher register.

"Move or get hit, pretty boy," Chad snarled.

"Look, I know puberty is hard, but can you at least try to act like the big grown up boys you are?" Peter shouted, his head swiveling back between the two men.

"Fine. Hit it is." This time, even his spider senses didn't have time to anticipate the blow on the back of his head. Peter's vision momentarily darkened as he sank to the ground, before he was unceremoniously kicked to the side, forgotten by the two combatants.

"Peter!" He heard Mae off in the distance, and then felt hands lift him up into a sitting position. Are you all right?" Her worried face peered into his as she began checking for signs of a concussion.

Peter gasped, nodding once and then wincing in pain. "I'm fine."

Mae's gaze furrowed into a glare, and she standing up, she whirled to face the two men fighting. "If you two don't stop this rough-housing this instant - "

The taller of the two – Mike, Peter guessed - was the one who spoke this time. He turned to glare at her while simultaneously punching the shorter man in the stomach. "Stay out of this, grandma."

"I'd listen to the nice lady, if I were you." A new voice broke through the crowd. Peter followed Mae's gaze and turned his head, just in time to see a young redheaded woman in a leather jacket step into the circle.

A few appreciative wolf whistles issued out from the lips of the frat boys. The one closest to her made a kissy noise, before trying to put his arm around her. "Hey baby," he said, leaning in -

She elbowed him hard in the gut.

The guy dropped to the ground, and the entire crowd began to murmur to themselves.

"Now," she said, handing a motorcycle helmet to a wary Aunt Mae, "let's try this again. Either you stop fighting, or you go viral on the internet for getting your asses kicked. Your choice."

Chad smirked, turning to face her. "Hot stuff, do yourself a favor and scram. We wouldn't want you to break a nail or anything." The guys around him, including Mike, began chuckling, their conflict momentarily forgotten.

The young woman smiled, and then dropped it just as quickly. "Last chance, boys."

They stopped laughing. Mike and Chad looked at each other before turning to glare at her. "Fine. Your funeral, sweetheart."

They began to charge forward, and Peter watched the young woman's face.

She was grinning.

Chad reached her first, throwing a wild punch. She stepped out of the way, caught his fist as it sailed past her, and pulled him closer. Releasing his arm, she leaned back and kicked him square in the chest. Chad went flying past Mike, landing on top of some of the other frat guys.

Mike came up next. Diving low, she wrapped her arms around his waist, pivoted on one of her legs, and threw him onto the ground in front of his stunned friends.

"What the fuck?" Some guy in the crowd hollered. The noisy crowd grew louder as people began to discuss just what they were watching.

Mike groaned, and rolled over. "Stay down," the woman said, facing a staggering Chad who was stupidly rushing her again.

"You got it," he replied, sirens singing in the background.

Apparently, Chad didn't learn last time, because he sent another wild punch her way. The woman dodged it easily. Growling, he threw another. She danced out of the way.

By this time the crowd started laughing, watching him unable to touch her. Chad's face began to turn purple. With a roar he rushed her, sending gasps throughout the crowd.

"Look out!" Peter heard himself yell.

The woman just smirked and ran at Chad. He aimed low, which gave the woman an opportunity to swing her leg up onto his shoulder. In a flash she had encircled her legs around his neck. With a giant pull backwards, she planted her arm on the ground and flipped, causing Chad to be slammed into the concrete.

Releasing her arms, she stood up and cracked her neck before glaring at the other guys. "Anyone else?"

Peter swore he heard one of them gulp.

She smiled. "Excellent." Chad's hand snaked up to grab hold of her leg. Without looking on it, she stomped down on his hand.

Chad began to scream. "Ah! You bitch, you broke my hand!"

Pivoting, she shrugged. "Oops."

"Break it up, break it up," Peter heard a familiar voice cut through the crowd. "If you aren't a Stark employee, I want you off this property ASAP, understood?" Happy Hogan, head of security at Stark Industries, stepped into the middle of the crowd and began directing other members of Stark Security to escort the customers off the premises.

He took one look at the two men on the ground and then turned an impressed gaze upon the young woman standing guard over them. "You did this?"

She smirked. "Self defense."

Happy nodded, and then grabbed both Chad and Mike by the arms. "I hope you boys are feeling lucky today, because if Stark chooses to prosecute, you're toast."

Chad and Mike began griping and moaning, respectively, as they were led away. The red head followed for a few steps, waving.

She exhaled deeply, turned, and started walking towards Peter.

"Sorry about that," she smiled at Aunt Mae. She held out her hand to Peter, who took it without question, and with a wince, got into a standing position.

Mae stood and looked at her silently for a few moments, before waving her into Stark Coffee. "Go on inside and get a drink. I'm going to talk to the police, and then I'm going to talk to you about a job. Agreed?"

The woman smiled and took her helmet back from Mae's outstretched hands. "Agreed."

Mae smiled, and then headed towards Happy and the police officers that were pulled up on the side of the curb.

_Say something cool, say something cool, say something cool -_

"Wow."

_Nice going, Parker._

The woman turned to look at him, and Peter felt himself blush. "I mean - that was really cool."

"Thanks," she smiled back.

"The name's Peter. Peter Parker." He stuck out his hand. "What's yours?"

"Barbara Allen. Nice to meet you, Peter Parker."

 

 

 


	9. Java Jive

Although A.L.F.R.E.D. had droned on unsupportingly during her little takedown of those two random guys, Barbara couldn't stop herself from grinning. Really, it had been too long since she'd gotten to play hero. And compared to sparring with – well, with _them –_ dealing with Chad and Mike was a piece of cake. Frankly, the most difficult part was making sure she was holding back enough. She was capable of doing most day to day tasks without breaking things – the curse of superhuman strength, she had realized – but she hadn't been in a combat situation with those skills yet. In a weird sort of way, this was the practice she needed.

She had initially planned on bolting after that security guy took them away, but then A.L.F.R.E.D. had helpfully reminded her that beating up two random dudes didn't count as "healthy interpersonal interaction," so she had agreed to the owner's request and went inside with Peter Parker – which led to her current interrogation by a fellow redhead who had introduced herself as MJ.

"How old?"

"26."

"Boyfriend?"

"Nope."

"Girlfriend?"

"Tragically straight. Thanks," she grabbed hold of the mocha MJ had crafted and took a long sip.

"Job?"

"Freelance coding."

"School?"

"Done, thank God."

"Family?"

Barbara stilled, sitting down her drink. "Not around anymore."

MJ looked at her sympathetically. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right. It's – it's a process. What about you?"

MJ snorted, walking back over to the espresso machine. "What about me?"

"Hey, you gave me the third degree. It's only fair if you return the favor," Barbara said, watching the redhead from over the lid of her drink as she took another sip.

The redhead smiled and shot her a wink. "Fair enough. The name's MJ, stands for Mary Jane, but only my grandmother and my girlfriend are allowed to call me that. I'm at NYU getting a graduate degree in acting, so if I'm not here making coffee, I'm either at rehearsal or arguing with my parents about not having a degree in a field that provides a steady source of income."

"She's totally gonna make it big though." Peter piped up from his spot next to Barbara. He had been mostly silent during MJ's questioning, but Barbara could feel his questioning gaze on her more often than not.

MJ rolled her eyes, but she blushed at the compliment. "Thanks Parker."

"I mean it! She's amazing."

The front door of Stark Coffee chimed. "Peter, are you moving in on my girl again?" Barbara turned to look at the speaker and saw a petite blonde woman walk towards them with a smile on her face.

"Gwen!" MJ greeted her warmly. Running over to the blonde, she threw her arms around her and planted a giant kiss on her lips.

"GROSS!” Peter whined loudly, a giant grin on his face.

MJ flicked Peter off, not breaking from the kiss. Finally, the blonde – Gwen – pulled away and smiled at Barbara. "Hi! Sorry about that, I'm Gwen."

"Hey, never apologize for love, no worries. I'm Barbara."

"Nice to meet you, Barbara. Are you working here now?"

"Dear God, I hope so. She totally took down these two guys from the U earlier – the video is going viral online," MJ began to babble.

"Yeah, how did you learn to do that?"

Barbara turned to look at Peter, pretending to look puzzled. "Do what?"

"You know," he gestured wildly, "all of that!"

Barbara snorted and took another sip from her mocha. "My dad was a cop. I grew up with three brothers." _Sort of._

"Yep, that'll do it," MJ agreed.

"So, Gwen," Barbara spun back towards the blonde, "do you work here as well?"

"Not anymore," Gwen turned to beam at MJ. "I got the job!"

MJ whooped and planted a giant kiss on her cheek. Peter ran around the counter and picked them both up, swinging them around in a circle. "I knew you could do it!"

"Thank goodness," MJ helpfully contributed. "I've been looking forward to starting my career as a trophy wife."

Gwen shot MJ a stern look before both girls dissolved into giggles. Rolling his eyes, Peter set the two girls back down on the ground and swung over the bar, sitting back down next to Barbara.

"They're adorable."

"They're nauseating."

"You know, Peter," Gwen replied, "Harry's single again - "

"Nope. Not interested, not even a little bit."

"But - "

"Nope."

"Look, just because that whole thing happened with Matt - "

"No. Not gonna happen."

"Peter - "

"I will toss my apple juice at you," Peter threatened. Gwen pouted in reply.

A loud chiming sound signaled once again that someone had entered Stark Coffee. "Hey Mae," Gwen and MJ said in chorus.

"Hi, girls." Mae walked over next to the coffee bar and sat down next to Barbara. Barbara zeroed in, getting a closer look at the woman. She was probably in her early fifties, judging by the wrinkles around her eyes, but if you ignored those, then she looked closer to 35. She had bright blue eyes, just like Peter, and her dark hair was pulled into a low bun at the base of her neck.

"How's the drink?" She asked Barbara, nodding at her mocha.

"Delicious," she replied. "Do you use specialty ingredients?"

"All of our ingredients are unique to Stark Coffee. It's one of the biggest draws – aside from, you know, the Avengers.

"So," Mae said, grabbing hold of a bar stool and scooting it next to Barbara, "what do I have to say to bring you on board the team?"

Barbara almost spit out her drink. "Seriously?"

"Well, you're clearly capable of de-escalating physical encounters. Mr. Stark's been talking for a while about changing our public hours to the morning, and I could use someone on the team to help out, should Stark Security be otherwise occupied. Think you could be interested?"

Smiling at the older woman, Barbara nodded. "I could be convinced."

Mae smiled brightly. "Great! Now, all I need from you to fill out some paperwork, and then we can discuss your hours! Oh, and one more question; can you make coffee drinks?"

__________________________

"Sign here, and here, and initial here," Mae directed from over Barbara's shoulder.

MJ moaned in pleasure. "How does this taste so good? It's literally the same ingredients!"

"Come on, MJ, the lattes always taste good - " MJ shoved the drink into Gwen's hands, who took a long sip. "Actually, yeah, that's better. How'd you do it?" She asked Barbara.

Barbara handed the pen back to Mae, who smiled gratefully before walking into the back office. "I don't know; I just have sort of a gift when it comes to coffee."

MJ groaned, throwing her arm against her forehead dramatically. "To have fallen so far - "

Gwen shoved the latte back into MJ's hands. "Drink the latte, sweetie. Be one with the espresso."

"Okay!" Mae walked back into the room. "We should have the results of the background check back by Sunday, so pending it all checks out, how would you like to start Monday morning?"

Barbara nodded. "That would be great!"

"Excellent!" Mae beamed. "I've got extra Stark Security in place during our public hours for the next two weeks, so I'll have you start by taking the morning shifts with Peter. That way, we can ease you into the insanity that is Stark Coffee. Besides, if we do end up switching our public hours to the morning - "

"Please, dear God," MJ muttered.

Mae shot her a look before continuing. "As I was saying, if we do end up switching our public and private hours schedule, you'll already be acclimated to the early morning shift. Okay, do you have any questions for me?"

"Nope! This all sounds great," Barbara smiled at Mae.

"Great! Well, I'll let you know once we get the results on the background check, and we'll hopefully see you on Monday!"

"Sounds great. Thank you so much Mae! Nice to meet you all!" Barbara waved and then stepped lightly out the door, the sound of the chimes the only indication that she had left the building.

MJ watched her retreating figure and nodded. "I like her."

"Not too much, hopefully," Gwen teased. MJ rolled her eyes in reply, but kissed her girlfriend on the cheek all the same.

"I don't know, I just think this'll be fun."

"Yeah, and maybe we'll actually get customers in the morning, since it's not Peter making the coffee."

"Hey!"

________________________________

"This is a good idea, right A.L.F.R.E.D.?" Barbara asked the AI absentmindedly later that evening. She was currently typing away at the Oracle station, directing the Avengers towards a Hydra base located in the Pyrenees.

"Which part, Ms. Gordon? The hacking, or your new career as a barista?"

"I mean, it's just making coffee. What harm could it be?"

"I believe second and third degree burns from exposure to - "

"Not what I meant, A.L.F.R.E.D."

"It will greatly increase your interpersonal interactions, and subsequently your life satisfaction. Additionally, it may serve to benefit your continued surveillance of the Avengers."

"So it's a good idea then?"

A.L.F.R.E.D. was silent for a moment. "It is a good first step, Ms. Gordon," he finally replied.

Barbara hummed in agreement. "I concur." She paused for a moment. "What are the odds that Stark will stop trying to hack us?"

"Quantifiably not in our favor."

"Well, it was worth a shot."

___________________________________

The Quinjet lurched as its wheels touched down on the tarmac on Stark Tower. Steve Rogers picked up his shield and grimaced; he should have known throwing a tank would pull a muscle.

"You know, at your age, it's normal to feel muscle twinges," Iron Man walked back, smacking him on his sore arm. Steve hissed, glaring at his back.

"Thanks, Stark."

"Just looking out for ya, buddy!"

Steve glanced over at Natasha, who was smirking at the two of them. "After you," he said, inclining his head towards the night sky.

Natasha moved to step forward and was cut off by Clint, who rushed to the back of the jet. "Milady," he said, sweeping into a bow as she walked closer.

Natasha replied by punching him in the stomach.

Clint fell backwards, snickering. "Totally worth it," he winked at Steve before following Natasha into the night.

"You gonna be all right, Steve?" He heard the quiet voice of Dr. Banner behind him.

Steve hunched his shoulders. "Yeah. I'll be fine. Let's go."

___________

Twenty minutes later, the team had changed out of their suits and into comfier clothes and were seated around Stark’s conference table, munching on the Chinese food that Thor had – literally – flown in. They'd been joined by Dr. Foster and Ms. Lewis, who were currently sitting on both sides of Thor, and were arguing very passionately about just what was in General Tso's special sauce.

"Ms. Lewis, Dr. Foster, if you please," Director Fury grumbled from the front of the room. "The sooner we debrief, the sooner you can get back to this scintillating conversation."

Dr. Foster had the grace to look embarrassed, but Darcy just huffed, stuck her legs on Bruce's lap and began to vigorously chew her wontons.

"As I was saying, this op is a new record for the team – decommissioning a Hydra base in just forty minutes. I would be impressed, except for the fact that a complete stranger know is doing all of the heavy lifting for us!"

"Tony, have you had any luck tracing Oracle?" Maria asked from the front of the group.

Tony slurped up a noodle before shaking his head vigorously. "None whatsoever."

"And nothing about that concerns you?"

"Just the idea of what would happen to Stark Industries stock should Hammer recruit them first – not like that would ever happen."

Steve smacked his hand on the table. Hard.  "Damn it, Tony, can't you be serious for once in your life?"

"Jesus, Cap, what's your problem today? Is your time of the month already or something?"

Natasha smacked Tony on the shoulder, who mumbled an apology back to her.

"I hate to say it, but Tony's right, Steve. You seem a little tense," Clint replied warily from his spot next to Jane.

Steve was silent a long time before answering. "I just don't like it. Some all-powerful group that's capable of hacking literally everything? How do we know they're truly on our side? How long until they decide to abuse that power?"

"All of their intel has been good - "

"That's just it. It's too good. If they were to go rogue, they could destroy everything."

The table fell into silence. "Well, Cap, you sure do know how to bring the party."

Steve glared at Tony, who grinned in reply and took a giant bite of honey shrimp. "Seriously?"

"Look," Tony said between chews, "I have J.A.R.V.I.S. tracking all of their movements and actions - "

"After they happen!"

"And turning it into a predictive index. So far, it's been accurate within .006%. Whoever this Oracle is, is limiting themselves to perps on the US government most wanted lists, and whatever Hydra operatives they are capable of locating."

"Still - "

"I'm not saying it doesn't make me nervous, but we have almost an entirely accurate way of predicting their next move. Besides, it's only a matter of time until one of my viruses stick, and then we'll have them."

"And you'll turn them in, right?"

Tony hummed noncommittally and took another bite of his shrimp. "We'll see what I feel like."

Steve opened his mouth to censure the genius but Director Fury shot him a glare, as if to say _Choose your battles wisely, Rogers._ "Keep us posted on what you're able to figure out, Stark. We will decide what to do with Oracle when the opportunity presents itself. In the meantime, try not to kill each other." With one last glare Fury swept out of the conference room, followed by a stone-faced Maria Hill.

The door whizzed shut behind them, and the entire room let out a sigh.

"Finally!" Darcy exclaimed. She reached over Bruce's lap and waved her hand at Stark. "Give me the tablet, there's something you gotta see - "

"Lewis, if it's another Twitch livestream - "

"Okay, first of all, that was the best movie night we've had in a while, and secondly, this has to do with Stark Coffee."

Tony handed her the tablet suspiciously. "What happened with Stark Coffee?"

"Really?" Jane gaped at him. "I'm surprised you didn’t know."

Darcy grinned and chortled to herself. "Check. This. Out." Hitting a button on the tablet, the screen in front of them flickered to life.

It looked like someone was filming from their cell phone; the picture was shaky and unfocused. The Avengers watched as two guys on the screen began punching each other.

"This happened at Stark Coffee?" Bruce frowned. Steve grabbed the kung pao chicken away from Thor and began shoveling it into his mouth.

"Yep!"

"Darcy, why are we watching this?" Clint groaned.

"Just wait - "

Steve stabbed his fork into the chicken and took a large bite, lost in thought. It wasn't that he didn't trust Tony, or that he doubted his knowledge; Steve just didn't like things that he had no semblance of control over.

_"I'd listen to the nice lady, if I were you."_

He glanced up at the screen just in time to see a pretty redheaded woman step into the frame. Some guy standing behind her moved towards her, and looked like he was going to grab onto her when she slammed her elbow into his stomach, and he dropped to the ground.

"Damn!" Clint hooted, mouth full of half-mashed Chinese food.

"It gets so much better," Darcy laughed, taking another large bite of a wonton.

_"Last chance, boys."_

The two guys that had been fighting earlier charged her. The woman flew into action, flipping the other guy onto his back doing a move he'd seen Natasha use only a handful of times.

"Oh my GOD!" Clint yelled. "YES! YOU GO GIRL!"

"She has good form," Natasha nodded, looking vaguely impressed.

"When did this happen?" Steve looked over at Jane, who was watching the video with a grin on her face.

"This afternoon." He heard the crunch of some bones getting snapped and he winced in sympathy.

"What happened to her?"

"The last I heard, Peter's aunt hired her to work at Stark Coffee." He turned just in time to see Pepper walk into the room and drop a kiss on Tony's head.

"But can she actually make coffee? Lord knows I love Parker, but that last mocha – " Clint shivered.

"Truly, the beverage of demons," Thor agreed supportively.

"Well, the direct quote I got from MJ was "it's the nectar of the gods, Pepper, I think I just gave birth to the Christ", so I have high hopes."

"Well, that's a relief. I should really patronize my own coffee chain," Tony mused.

"What do we know about her?"

Pepper whipped out her smartphone, tapped a few commands onto the glass, and then the screen at the front of the room displayed her records. "Barbara Allen, age twenty-six. Graduate from MIT, freelances in computer coding. No family to speak of, father is newly deceased. Recently moved to New York, lives in the upper west side. Reported IQ of 179, and is apparently capable of self-defense."

"Damn, Stark, she's got you beat," Clint joked into his rice.

"Please, two IQ points mean nothing," he quickly replied. Pepper rolled her eyes but kissed him again on the forehead anyways.

"This maiden appears to be of great strength. We should befriend her," Thor announced. He tried to slam his wontons onto the table, but Jane cooed and stole them away from him instead.

"I agree with Thor 100%," Darcy chimed in.

"You ALWAYS agree with Thor 100%," Clint whined from across the table.

"When you start bringing Asgardian mead to girl's night, I'll agree with you 100% too," she replied, reaching and patting his hand comfortingly."

"Lewis, you're the guinea pig for this then. Check the girl out, and if she's OK, then the God of Thunder can pay her a visit. Deal?" Tony looked at Thor, who sighed, his shoulders slumping.

Darcy grinned, taking a giant slurp of her Diet Coke. "You got it, boss man."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Steve has finally shown up! Sigh.... -insert heart eye emoji here-
> 
> Two chapters this evening, and working on the next one right now! Sorry for the slow update, finals + holidays + family illness = not a lot of extra time. January should yield more fruit though. Thank you all so much for the comments and the support, I can't wait for you to see where this goes!


	10. Working Girl

Barbara checked her watch again for the third time. 6:12. Sighing, she raised her eyes and gazed up and down the avenue.

She had gotten the call from Mae yesterday that the background check had gone through and she was good to go, and Mae had reaffirmed that Peter would be there to let her in Monday morning. She had gotten to Stark Coffee ten minutes early, hoping to impress him on her first day, but he was nowhere in sight. Not that she needed this job for financial purposes, or anything; she just wanted to make friends. And that was infinitely more terrifying than losing this job, or somehow breaking everything in the store.

Barbara heard him before she saw him. Peter came sprinting around the corner and almost crashed into Barbara. "I'm so sorry I late, I overslept, I was up late last night - "

"Peter! Hey, no worries, it's a gorgeous morning anyways."

"Yeah. Thank goodness it's not too humid yet." Peter walked up to the door and slid open a brick panel to the right. He stuck his hand on the metal panel that had laid under the brick panel and waited.

Barbara heard the sound of the door unlocking as a mechanical British voice spoke. "Welcome, Mr. Parker. Have a good day."

Wide-eyed, Barbara followed Peter into the coffee shop. She hadn't interacted with any Stark tech yet. Granted, some of the designs were still pretty rudimentary, but she had to admit, the work was impressive.

"Mr. Stark has cleaning crews come in every night before closing, so we don't have to do any of that set-up in the morning. Honestly, we're not too busy during private hours, but there is a bit of a rush around lunch. We're famous for our cupcakes." Peter turned to look back at her. "I'd give you a tour on how to use the appliances, but honestly, I think you have a better handle on it than I do already."

Barbara smiled at him. "I'll certainly give it a shot!"

"Sweet. If you need me, I'll be in the back." Peter grinned back and headed off into the kitchen.

Sighing, Barbara pulled an apron over her head, turned on all of the espresso machines, and then sat by register and waited for customers to arrive.

_______________

The next two weeks passed in the same manner. Peter showed up around ten minutes late every morning, and spent the rest of his time in the back, alternating between baking cupcakes and sleeping on the island. There were almost next to no customers during "private hours", so Barbara spent most of her time in the mornings reprogramming the espresso machines.

On the second Monday of her employment, Mae had breezed in bright and early to announce that Stark Coffee was expanding and a new store was officially opening ten blocks away that would be open to the public at all hours. This primary location was being transitioned into a private-only coffee house, where you had to have either a government ID or Stark Industries badge to access the store. All items at the primary store were heavily discounted as a result, hopefully leading to an increase in sales from Stark Industries employees. Mae was taking full-time management of the public store and giving primary management of the private one to MJ, who was overjoyed that a), she was getting a significant increase and b) there would be significantly less people to deal with during her normal afternoon shift.

Barbara was torn on the whole thing. On the one hand, the less she had to deal with rabid Avengers fans, the better. On the other hand, she'd taken this whole gig to keep an eye on the Avengers, and to make new friends. So far, she hadn't seen hide nor hair of the team, and Peter baked and slept most of his way through the morning shift. She could expect somewhere between ten to twenty customers during her usual shift, but none of them ever ordered coffee. And, after hacking the shop's finances, she’d discovered that Stark Coffee needed to start making some serious income at their location – and fast. A.L.F.R.E.D. spent the better half of an afternoon running simulations and cost projections, and concluded that no amount of collectible mugs or overpriced mochas purchased at the other store would be able to make up the current deficit the operation was running. Without an additional product producing a solid revenue stream, it would be at least 87 months before Stark Coffee was out of the red. Not that the endeavor was in danger of closing – Stark’s finances were nothing to blink at – but it didn’t take Diana’s lasso of truth to discern that the finances were becoming burdensome to Mae.

So, on her third Monday of employment, Barbara took matters into her own hands.

________________

Peter burst in the door of Stark Coffee at 8:57 A.M.

"Hey! You're here!" He heard Barbara's voice call to him from the back.

Gasping, Peter made his way over to the counter and landed in one of the bar stools with a plop. "Overslept – out late," he wheezed. Well, Spider-man had been out late, but after three weeks of hard surveillence, he'd finally rounded up the last of the Vulture's men. Peter could breathe easily now – well, not literally right that second.

Looking up, he forced himself to breathe deeply, and then slowly opened his eyes.

"Hey, uh, what's happening here?"

"One second! I can't hear you!" He heard the tell-tale sound of the oven timer, and a few seconds later Barbara waltzed out of the back with a tray of piping hot cookies. "That should be the last of the cookies for today," she said, placing them on the cooling rack.

"I'm so sorry I'm late - "

"Oh my gosh, seriously, don't even worry about it. I had fun baking this morning."

"Yeah, it's a blast. I do have a question though."

Barbara hummed as she began placing the cookies onto the presentation tray.

"What's with all of this?"

"All of what?" She asked, turning around.

Peter gestured at the counter with wide eyes.

Almost the entirety of the surface was covered with various containers of drink ingredients. Syrups, chocolate mixes, toppings, you name it, it was there. In the center of the mess was a giant white board filled with a large grid, several multi-colored markers spread across its surface.

"Oh, that," Barbara replied, turning back to the cookies. "Well, we haven't had much business since we started, and I noticed that we didn't have any specialty drinks, so I thought that it might be fun to come up with some. Use as a promotion to get people in here, you know?"

Peter frowned. "We're only serving staff here – and government people," he added as an afterthought.

"Trust me, no one, not even other SI employees, will be able to resist Avengers-themed specialty drinks."

"Avengers-themed?"

"Yeah! Isn't it a great idea? I honestly can't believe Stark hasn't tried to capitalize on it yet."

"There's a copyright issue – or so he said in a memo," Peter rushed out, when Barbara shot him a curious look. "You know, government ownership and all."

Sticking the dirty tray in the sink, she walked back to the counter and drummed her fingers on the top. After a few moments of pondering, she snapped her fingers. "We don't have to name the drinks after the Avengers, just hint that we are, you know?"

"That's – that's actually not a bad idea," Peter murmured.

"See? So, all we have to do is come up with the drinks, and the names, and then convince your aunt to let us go live with this, and bam! New customers!"

"Okay, but that's way easier said than done."

"Agreed. Which is why I would love your help."

Glancing up, Peter found himself caught in Barbara's most disarming smile. "Please?"

Smiling, he chuckled. "I'll do what I can, but I make no promises. I'm terrible when it comes to operating the espresso machine."

Barbara's laugh echoed his. "Deal. You can leave that part to me."

____________________

“Lewis, I needed that coffee yesterday!” Tony snapped from across the lab.

Darcy fought the urge to scream, instead crumpling up the lab report in her hands. Three weeks. The Scientists Three had been like this for _three weeks._ It usually wasn’t this bad; all it would take was a cleverly worded text to Natasha or Clint and the espresso machine would mysteriously break, forcing Tony, Bruce, and Jane to hibernate for at least twenty-four hours. That, or just sicking Thor on them. He broke about 4.7 things on average when visiting Tony’s lab, but there’s no stopping a god on a mission.

Unfortunately, Clint and Natasha were off the grid on some mission or other, Thor was dealing with some sort of uprising in Vanaheim, and the back-up to Darcy’s back-up, Steve and Pepper, were both elsewhere in the United States doing Lord-knows-what. The upside to all of this was that Darcy had the hot tub all to herself, most of the time. The downside? They just _had_ to have a “major break-through” in Jane’s Rosenbridge or whatever, something about alien radiation or what not. It was hugely thrilling for Stark and co. But for Darcy? It meant a battle for the ages. It was like trying to wrestle a toddler into sleeping, but instead of one toddler it was three, and these three toddlers happened to be smarter than you, richer than you, and surprisingly good at hiding in a space the size of a Los Angeles studio apartment.

So, that morning, Darcy had taken extreme measures and smashed the espresso machine. JARVIS, bless his heart, tried his best to override Tony’s commands, but in the end he was forced to snitch on Darcy. And unlike Natasha or Clint, Darcy posed no real _mortal_ danger to Tony, so she eventually had to compromise with the team: one more day, filled with coffee, followed by no science for 48 hours. Honestly, she was surprised they’d agreed to that much time; they must be more tired than they looked.

However, just because Darcy was able to broker a deal didn’t mean Tony was less of an ass. In fact, Tony was in “full ass mode”, something that usually made Darcy chuckle, but instead today was causing her to consider using her selfie-stick as a weapon.

“Ow!” Darcy shrieked as Jane rushed by, stepping on her feet. “Watch it, tiny!” No one, not even Bruce – the traitor – looked over at her exclamation, instead pouring over whatever mountain of paper Jane had just printed.

Muttering to herself, Darcy turned on her heel and stalked out of the lab, heading towards the kitchen.

_______

“Miss Lewis, are you all right?”

Darcy shushed JARVIS, on her knees under the table in the kitchen. “You’ll scare it!”

Too late. The sentient coffee pot whistled and raced on its newly installed wheels out of the kitchen and down the stairwell.

“UGH!” Darcy groaned again. “JARVIS?”

“Yes, Ms. Lewis?”

“Remind me to murder Tony the next time he makes something in the kitchen sentient.”

“I will put it at the top of my list, Ms. Lewis.”

Breathing a sigh of thanks, Darcy stood up just as Tony’s voice echoed throughout the Tower. “Lewis! Where’s our coffee?”

“Okay, that’s it – “

“Ms. Lewis, before you hit Mr. Stark with that innocent blender, might I suggest you go elsewhere to get the coffee? There is a fully functional Stark Coffee across the street that I believe may serve your present needs.”

A manic grin appeared on Darcy’s face as she began to rub her hands together. “Is Peter working?”

“Yes, but – “

“Excellent idea, JARVIS,” Darcy sang, skipping out of the kitchen and pushing right past a returning Steve Rogers.

“Hey, I’m back – “ He turned to watch as Darcy brushed right past him. “Darcy? Hey, JARVIS, is she all right?”

“If by ‘all right’, you mean to inquire if she is, in fact, planning on poisoning Mr. Stark, Dr. Banner and Dr. Foster with Mr. Parker’s coffee, then yes, she is quite all right.”

Snorting, Steve lugged his duffel higher onto his shoulder and strolled to the elevator bank on the opposite side of the dining area. “Good for her.”

“Quite,” was JARVIS’ dry reply.

____

“Parker! I need some terrible coffee and stat!”

Running out from the back of the store, Peter grinned happily at the approaching dark-haired girl. “Hey Darcy!”

Walking quickly towards him, the gorgeously curvaceous woman – Darcy – swept Peter up into a giant hug. “Long time no see, my man! How are things?”

“Things are going well, staying busy. What about you?

“Oh you know, the usual. I need to poison Tony, can you make me some coffee?”

Snorting, Peter set Darcy back on the ground and nodded in Barbara’s direction. “Sorry, Darce, she makes the coffee around here now. Darcy, this is Barbara. Barbara, Darcy.”

“Nice to meet you,” Barbara grinned, reaching her hand out to Darcy.

Darcy took it, looking at Barbara suspiciously. “Barbara. Why do you look familiar?”

Frowning slightly, Barbara slowly shook Darcy’s hand. “I don’t know, I – “

 “Aha!” Darcy snapped her fingers loudly, causing Barbara to jump. “You’re from the video! You beat up those guys outside!”

“Well, I – “

“Yeah, she did!”

“That was SO badass, we were talking about it for days! I heard you were working here now from Pep, and I had planned on visiting earlier, but then science happened, and suddenly nobody can sleep or leave the lab ever, and honestly, I don’t know if I’ll make it out alive of this bender.”

“Oh, yeah, thanks,” Barbara replied. “So you work in the lab? Are you a scientist?”

At this Darcy snorted, letting go of Barbara’s hand. “Yeah, not in a million years. I’m the Stark Industries Science Wrangler. Basically, I make sure Mr. Stark gets watered and set in the sun twice a day.”

Nodding, Barbara laughed alongside Peter. “I know how that goes. So, you want some coffee?”

“Yeah,” Darcy sighed, stepping over to the counter. “I think I’ll get – hey, you have specialty drinks now?”

Emblazoned in large yellow letters on the center blackboard were the words “Superhero Specialty Drinks”, followed by several entries and their corresponding caffeinated descriptions, from _Java of Thunder_ – an extra large mystery chocolate blend mocha with marshmallow syrup, whipped cream, candied marshmallows, and chocolate syrup – to _Spidey Sense_ – an iced white chocolate mocha with a double shot of raspberry and whipped cream.

“Do you have one for all of the Avengers?”

“Yes!” Peter replied excitedly.

“Well, technically they’re more Avengers – adjacent than Avengers themed at the moment, Mr. Stark doesn’t have the patented rights on the names or logos yet. I came up with the blends, and Peter helped me name them.”

“Huh. I like it! Are they popular?”

“Just waiting on approval from Ms. Potts before we spread it out to the other franchises,” Barbara smiled. “What would you like?”

“I want the largest _From Russia with Love_ you have, and – actually, what would you recommend for three scientists that are about to crash hard, but could use some assistance getting there?”

“Three _Mr. Roboto_ ’s, coming up!”

Darcy charged the orders to Stark’s credit card, and smiled widely as Barbara handed her the carrying case of espresso. “Barbara, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

“Sounds good to me,” was her smirking reply.

“Thanks, you two! Stay hydrated!” Darcy called out over her shoulder as she exited into the New York sunlight.

___

Tony frowned at the large concoction in his hands. “I wanted coffee, not a heart attack.”

Groaning, Darcy shoved the drink towards his mouth. “Just try it, already!”

“Okay, okay, cool your jets Lewis!” Taking an experimental sip, Tony slowly lowered his hand and shut his eyes as he swallowed.

“Well?” Darcy pried.

“Oh my god, Darcy, this is the best coffee I’ve ever had!” Jane hollered from across the lab. “Seriously, what’s in this?”

Bruce groaned from behind her, sitting down on a swivel chair. “That’s one hell of a caffeine rush.”

Sighing, Tony squinted his eyes and pointed at Darcy. “This,” he shook his finger, “this is amazing. Whatever this is, I want five more right now.”

“Me too!”

“Yeah, I don’t think so,” Darcy shook her head. “You get one today, and after you sleep – “

“But – “

“After you sleep, I’ll get you another one.”

Waggling his finger at her, he sighed before taking another long sip of his drink. “You drive a hard bargain, Lewis. What’s this nectar of the gods called anyway?”

“ _Mr. Roboto_.”

“A genius idea, really. JARVIS, find this person and hire them.”

“They already work for you, sir.”

“Excellent. Okay, team, we have seven more hours until Darcy sends in Steve’s Righteous Stare of Indignation, let’s make this count!”

Jane whooped from her side of the lab, nearly drowning out Bruce’s groan. “Next time, get me something with a little less of a kick, okay Darcy?”

Smiling softly down at the slightly bedraggled man, Darcy ran her fingers through his hair and kissed his forehead. “You got it, big guy. Now, go get ‘em!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! Sorry for the slight delay. My boyfriend's father passed away in mid-January, so I've been juggling work and funeral events for awhile now. I've got two chapters for you today though! We're finally getting somewhere! Love as always, Clara


	11. Something (in the way she moves)

It’s early.

Way, way too early.

At least, that’s what Stark says anytime he passes Steve on his way out of the lab and into his bed. It’s just, with the serum, and the whole being in a coma for seventy years thing, Steve doesn’t need as much sleep. Besides, he likes waking up when it’s still dark out, and making it to the city’s edge to watch the sunrise. It’s quiet, peaceful. In those moments, it’s almost as if he’s still in his own time. And if he thinks hard enough, he can almost hear Bucky standing beside him, talking about some woman he went out with last night, the sound of his laugh echoing across the cobblestones –

But thoughts like that can be dangerous. Which is why he’s taken to using Tony’s StarkPod – or whatever it’s called – and listening through all of the albums Sam tells him to listen to. No two sound the same, and he doesn’t really like all of them, but he listens to them anyways. Anything to keep moving forward.

It’s 6:03 on a Tuesday morning, and he’s making his way back to the Tower from the pier, listening to an album by some group named after a bug when he notices it. Or, rather, when he notices her.

Steve can’t remember how many times he’s run past Stark Coffee on his way back into the Tower. More than he could ever count, if he’s being honest with himself. And he would have run by it again today, if there wasn’t a blur of movement right in the corner of his eye as he was jogging past.

On reflex he turns to look. On reflex, he automatically stops (or, that’s what he tells himself later).

She looks close to Darcy’s age, probably twenty-four or twenty-five. She isn’t tall or petite, more like somewhere in the middle. Slender, but her arms are well-defined.

Her back is to him, and he can see long, wavy red hair tied up into a messy ponytail. Light colored jean shorts reveal toned legs, her brightly colored shirt stands out against her pale skin, and suddenly he can feel a bead of sweat breaking across his skin, and his breath is getting shallow, and he’s across the street and inside the doorway of the Tower long before she turns around and sees that no one is there.

“Are you all right, Captain?” JARVIS’ disembodied voice asks him as he enters the lobby. Steve just waves him away and walks past Jane and Darcy, who look at him quizzically before looking at each other.

He takes a shower, and resolves to not think about it anymore.

___

It happens again the next day. He even leaves the pier a few minutes early, but by the time he arrives, she’s there, this time wiping down the countertops. And once again, he stops, his mind yelling at him to stop staring, to just get out of there or do something, for crying out loud, but his feet are glued to the concrete until the moment just before she turns around, and then he’s gone, across the street, past Natasha and Clint this time without a single word. Next time, he’ll just jog by.

But then it happens again. And again. And then Saturday comes, and she isn’t there, and his return to the Tower is slow, almost dejected. She’s gone Sunday, too.

He’s almost given up hope when Monday arrives and she’s there, this time twirling across the floor as she sweeps a broom. He’s breathing heavily, and whether it’s relief or anxiety, he doesn’t know, and it almost gets him caught this time, but it was worth it.

___

“So, JARVIS has noticed a new pattern in your behavior recently,” Natasha starts calmly, her thighs firmly wrapped around Steve’s head as she tries to choke him out on the mat. “Apparently, you’ve been stopping by the coffee shop every morning after your run, and you don’t go in. Why?”

Grunting, Steve lifts off of the ground, breaks Natasha’s choke-hold, and throws her down onto the mat. “Since when does JARVIS report to you? And, it’s nothing.”

“Oh really?”

“Really,” he replies, lunging back into the tackle.

Natasha wraps her legs around his waist and flips him onto the map. “So this has nothing to do with the brunette that’s started working there, then?”

Steve flushes and tries to wrestle Natasha onto the ground, to no avail. “Of course not. And she’s a redhead.”

Snorting, Natasha forces his head down onto the mat. “Okay then, I’ll let Clint know you’re not interested. He’s been wanting to know if she’s single – “

With a giant shove, Steve flips up off the mat and sends Natasha sailing towards a wall. She lands with a thud. She smirks at him.

Sighing, Steve walks across the mat, holds out his hand, and pulls her up, their sparring session clearly over. “Look, Nat – “

“It’s none of my business, I understand. It's just - out of all of us, you deserve to find someone. To be happy.

 "You’ve been playing it way too safe, Captain. You’ll never gain any ground if you don’t take any risks.”

Nodding, Steve reaches for his water bottle and takes a large gulp of water. “I’ll think about it.”

Natasha kisses him on the cheek, a small smile on her face. “That’s all I ask.”

___

It’s 6:09 on Tuesday morning. Steve is pacing, a block away from Stark Coffee.

Natasha’s words had kept him up all night last night. She had some really good points – she always does, so that shouldn’t surprise him by now. No, that’s not it. There are just too many things that could go wrong. She’s a civilian; he’d have to hide a large part of his identity; if people found out, they’d never be left alone; he’d be potentially putting her in danger; if he can’t share his whole life, why share part of it?

Nodding to himself, he straightens up his resolve. He’s going to walk by. He’s not going to stop, he’s just going to head on into the Tower, he’s not even going to look and see if she’s there –

Which is why he’s just as surprised as she is when he steps through the front door and blinks in the fluorescent light.

“Sorry, I didn’t see you enter.” She smiles at him, and it’s almost too much.

 _Relax, Stevie_ , he hears Bucky in his head. _She’s just a dame._

He tries to speak, but ends up coughing instead. When he looks up back at her, he sees that she’s looking at him, worriedly, and for the first time he can focus on her face.

Of course, it's the first girl he tried to talk to since the ice, since Peggy, and she’s a knock-out. She has a smattering of freckles across her nose, perfectly aligned teeth, and blue eyes that are so warm he swears they’re purple.

Her smile falters slightly, and he realizes he’s been staring.

Flushing, he tries to backpedal his way out the door, when she cries out after him. “Wait!”

She disappears behind the espresso machines and returns a minute later, with a large steaming cup to-go cup. “Here. Try this.”

He takes a large sip. It’s bitter and warm, just like the coffee Bucky would make, like the coffee he had out on the Front.

“What do you think?” She asks softly, gauging his reaction.

He nods in reply. “It’s good,” he almost whispers.

"It's the Captain Americano", she said, watching his movements with interest. "Do you think it fits?"

"Fits what?"

"Captain America, of course." Steve stilled, the cup frozen in his hand.

"When I envisioned it, I guess I wanted to go with something classic. Actually, okay, this is a really weird way to talk about coffee, but – I wanted the recipes to match their best qualities, you know?" She gestures up to the "Superhero Specialty Drinks" board. "It's easy to only see the bad when you look at people, sometimes. I want to remind everyone of the good."

Steve was silent for a few more moments, the taste of the espresso still dancing on his tongue.

"It's perfect."

She smiles, and he can feel his face flush again. With a quick nod, Steve beats a hasty retreat out of Stark Coffee.

He’s finished the Captain Americano by the time he hits the lobby.

______

They continue this way for a few more days. Steve enters silently, the woman – Barbara – makes a small bit of conversation and gives him a free Captain Americano, on the house.

On the following Tuesday, Steve surprises them both by sticking out his hand. “My name’s Steve, by the way.”

She smiles widely at him as she takes his hand, and his heart flutters a bit.

“Nice to meet you, Steve.”

He leaves with two Captain Americanos that day.

By the next Monday, he finds that their short conversations are getting longer and longer every day. They talk about everything under the sun, and nothing – the weather, sports, world news, the albums he’s listening to, the movies they’ve both heard of and never seen – and every day now he leaves with two Captain Americanos and a large grin on his face. And when he looks back and sees her grinning to herself, Steve starts to hope.

Maybe, just maybe, this could work out after all.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The meet cute! This chapter sort of feels like a miniature break in the story. I just wanted to make these moments stick out for both of them, without dwelling too long on it, you know? As much as I love UST and all that jazz, the sooner we can keep moving forward into the action of the story, the better. So this is my tribute to the beginning of their romance. Let me know what you think!


	12. Dead Man Talking

"So, do you wanna talk about it?"

"Talk about what?" Barbara pivoted back to the espresso machine, only to see a smirking Peter Parker leaning in front of it.

"Oh, you know, that guy who comes in every morning that you don't charge?"

Barbara felt herself flush –  _Stupid Irish genetics!_  - and swept past Peter, humming noncommittally. "He looks like he could use a friend, that's all."

"Uh huh," Peter smirked even wider. "You're a terrible liar, Allen."

Barbara snorted to herself, stuffing more napkins into their containers.  _You have no idea._

"Anyways, this guy - "

"Why are you so interested all of a sudden?" Whirling back around to face Peter, she shot him her most teasing grin. "Somebody have a crush? I'm sure I could introduce you."

Peter barked out a laugh before composing himself. "Him? Yeah, not my type."

"So you have a type?"

Peter blanched and stepped backwards, sensing this conversation was moving into dangerous territory. "I don't have a type! I like a lot of people!"

"Oh really? And what sort of 'people' are catching your eye, nowadays?" 

"I mean, you know, people!" Peter's attention was suddenly drawn away from her. Staring over her shoulder, he  _squeaked_ , and then ran into the back.

Frowning, Barbara turned to face the large windows in the front of the store, only to find an empty street.

"Huh," she murmured to herself. "That was weird."

She had been planning on asking Peter about the whole thing later on, but then Darcy had waltzed in, signaling for the hordes of employees at Stark Industries to come sailing through the doors – which was great for Stark Coffee's finances, but meant Barbara was working the espresso machine non-stop for the last four hours of her shift, and consequently forgot to talk to Peter about his strange moment until she was walking towards her bike, which was parked in the alleyway next to Stark Coffee.

And even then, she probably would have continued to forget about it, if a buff man in a skintight red and black suit hadn't suddenly materialized in front of her, shining katana at her throat. 

"Red hair and a hand-me-down robe... you must be a Weasley," a muffled voice declared from behind the red and black mask.

Barbara blinked at him, her brow furrowed. "I'm sorry, what?"

"WHAT?" The man in the suit gasped, jumping backwards slightly. "You've never seen Harry Potter? What, are you from a parallel dimension or something?"

"Well - "

"SILENCE!" The man roared. Barbara shut her mouth quickly. 

"Excellent, five points to Gryffindor. Okay, listen here Red, I'm only going to ask this once: who are you, and what are your intentions with the donkiest donk this side of the Mississippi?"

"Umm - "

"AH BA BA!" He cried, forcing the katana closer to her throat.

Barbara quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Oh, right, duh, sorry about that, it's just, I get so excited sometimes!"

"Okay, yeah, sure," Barbara replied slowly, a skeptical look still etched on her face. "I'm Barbara Allen, and – actually, didn't understand the second part of that question."

"The Donkiest Donk? The Golden Butt? The Jean Queen?"

She shook her head. 

The man dropped his katana, threw his head back, and sighed loudly. "Ugh, Peter Parker!"

"What?"

"What are your intentions with Peter Parker?"

Blinking rapidly, Barbara peered closer at the now exasperated costumed man. "Well, I'm his co-worker - "

"I knew it!" The katana was back at her throat.

Narrowing her eyes, she readied her feet to send a kick directly to his solar plexus. "I'm sorry, who are you?"

The man sighed and cracked his head to the side. "Some people call me the Gangster of Love. Some people call me Deadpool. Some people call me Maurice, 'cause I speak of the pompatus of love - "

"Wait, Deadpool?" Barbara asked, an excited edge entering her voice.

"At your service!"

"Charles mentioned you. He told me to tell you that you need to go in for your annual physical."

In a blink, Deadpool's face was pressed up against hers. "He said what?" He whispered, in a dangerously low voice.

"You need to go in for your annual physical?"

"Huh." Deadpool stepped back and squinted his eyes at Barbara before abruptly nodding and stuffing his katana behind his back. "This isn't over, Jessica Rabbit." Then, turning on his heel, Deadpool raced down the alley towards the street, disappearing into New York traffic.

"A.L.F.R.E.D.," Barbara murmured, her heartbeat slowly returning to its normal rate. "Did you get all that?"

"Downloading all available intelligence on Deadpool as we speak, Ms. Gordon."

"Excellent." Barbara sat down on her bike, turned the ignition, and shot out into the traffic, just as A.L.F.R.E.D. began to speak.

"Wade Wilson, mercenary known as Deadpool. After being diagnosed with cancer in his early twenties, Wade Wilson agreed to undergo the illicit Weapon X program. The program trigged his mutation, which allows him to fully recover from any state of injury, even death. However, his skin was permanently scarred as a result, and he is rarely – if ever – seen without his costume. Part of the Weapon X program was severe physical and psychological torture, which is what S.H.I.E.L.D. neurologists believe led to his current problem of mental illness and hearing voices. So far, he has resisted any sort of psychological treatment. 

"His mercenary activities began shortly after his mutation at the hands of Weapon X. The exact number of deaths that can be attributed to Deadpool is unknown; however, most estimations put the total kill-count at over three thousand. 

"Wilson was a part of the X-Men for a short amount of time seven years ago, but ultimately left due to 'irreconcilable differences'. He has no known allies, although he is known to occasionally work with Spider-Man when he is in New York City. Wilson has thwarted all attempts to either capture or recruit by S.H.I.E.L.D. 

"He has no family, home, or other societal relations."

Barbara took a sudden right hand turn and pulled off onto a side street, slowing her bike down to an easy crawl. She flipped the visor on her helmet up and sighed. 

"Are you all right, Ms. Gordon?"

"Deadpool – he just – he reminds me of - " 

_Jason Todd._

Swallowing, Barbara pushed the visor back down and turned back onto the highway. 

"Keep an eye on him for me, will you, A.L.F.R.E.D.?"

"Of course, Ms. Gordon."

__________

_BLARPPPPPP BLARP_ _BLARP_ _BLARP_ _TOOT_ _TOOT_ _-_

Barbara grumbled, pushing herself up, and glanced blearily at the alarm clock next to her bed. 12:37 A.M.

_BLARP TOOT_ _TOOT_ _TOOT_ _TOOT_ _BLUMMMMMMMMMMMMM -_

"Ms. Gordon, I believe someone is playing the trumpet outside your front door."

Groaning, Barbara swung her legs out of her bed and shuffled down the stairs. "Believe me, I know."

Reaching the front door, Barbara turned the handle and opened it, just as the trumpet solo reached its peak.

"Augh!"

"Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all night! Unless you let me in."

Forcing her eyes open wide, Barbara blinked into the night air. "Deadpool?"

"Good morning, sunshine!"

"It's almost one in the morning."

"Well, you know what they say, it's Cinco de Mayo somewhere!"

"I don't think - "

Glove-clad hands were shoved into the light of Barbara's entryway. "I brought the tequila!" Deadpool sang, shaking the large bottle in his hands.

Sighing, Barbara shrugged and accepted the tequila.

___________

" - and Wolvie sends his love and he's running low on his Chilean blend, whatever that means. Hey, are you sure you should be drinking it that quickly?"

With a large gulp, Barbara finished off her second margarita. "Yep."

"Girl after my own heart!" Taking away her empty glass, Deadpool shoved another frozen margarita in Barbara's direction, this one with seven paper umbrellas shoved in the top. 

"Anyways, Madame Cleo and I came up with the whole "physical" thing as a signal of sorts. Charlie says hi, by the way. So, Dumblebore and I chatted for a bit, and I'm keeping an eye out for you, blah blah blah, but I wanna know what."

"Sorry, what?"

"Yeah, what! What makes you so special that we'd use the signal!"

Sighing, Barbra's shoulders slumped forward. "Have a seat, Wade."

Wade sat down across from Barbara, lifted the tequila bottle to his lips, and took a long swig.

"I'm not confident this is a good idea, Ms. Gordon," A.L.F.R.E.D. spoke in her ear.

Barbara's phone suddenly vibrated in her pocket. Taking it out, she saw a message from Charles Xavier.  _Wade can be trusted, I assure you. And he could also use a friend, but you never heard it from me._

Looking up, Barbara watched as Wade finished off the tequila bottle. "What do you know about Infinity Stones?"

___________

"Okay, the boxes are getting a little noisy right now, so let me just recap here. You're from a parallel universe that  _apparently doesn't have Harry Potter_ , you have an alien engagement ring stuck in your back but nobody here knows except for the X-Men and now me, and you have an AI program that helps you run Oracle? And I thought Blind Al was nuts."

Grimacing, Barbara exhaled loudly through her mouth. "I'm telling the truth."

"Oh, I believe it! It's too crazy to be fake."

At this Barbara snorted and reached for her fourth margarita. "Tell me about it."

Wade was silent for a few more moments. "So everyone back home thinks you're dead?" He asked quietly.

"Yep," Barbara replied, the  _p_ popping between her lips. 

"Everyone?"

"Everyone."

More silence. Then, a question. "What happened to you? In your world?"

Barbara smiled sadly and looked down at her drink. "It's a long story."

"I've got time. And boxed wine!" Wade pulled an entire case out from behind his back. 

"How did you – Never mind. If you sure?"

"I'm sure! And don't call me Shirley!"

Shaking her head, Barbara set her margarita back down on the table and began to speak.

"I was born and raised in a city called Gotham. It's a lot like here, except constantly rainy, and you can't walk a single block without bumping into one crime-lord or another. The tabloids call it 'America's Underbelly'. It has the most crime per year out of every city in the world. It used to be way, way worse. But then the Batman showed up.

"Some people say he's a monster from the shadows, a demon meant to restore order to hell. Other people said he was just another crazed maniac running the city into the ground. There were only a few of us who knew who the Batman really was, and that was a man by the name of Bruce Wayne. Bruce is one of the five wealthiest people in our world. By day he's this charismatic playboy, but by night, he takes to the streets to try and eradicate crime in Gotham."

"So he's like Tony Stark then, right?"

"Less of a narcissist, more of an egomaniac, I think. Also, super angsty, like, all the time."

"Sounds fun!"

"That's one way of looking at it, I guess. Anyways, he's sort of the guardian angel of Gotham City. There are actually a lot of people who think he's still a rumor, but I knew the truth pretty early on. 

"You see, my dad is the police commissioner in Gotham City. He got promoted around the time I started elementary school, so there were a lot of nights when he and his team of detectives held all-night vigils in our apartment, trying to figure out who the Batman was, and what he was going after.

"It took a while, but Batman and the GCPD were finally working together to stop crime, and it was better, for a while. But then, it got way, way worse."

Barbara shivered subconsciously and took another sip of her margarita. She glanced up briefly to see Wade leaning towards her, enraptured by the story.

"There was this criminal named Jack Napier. He was a big-time crime boss that the Batman had actually taken down within the first year he was on the streets. People said he was crazy, merciless, that he couldn't be stopped. Batman stopped him, but when he did, he created something else.

"Jack left behind a son, named Jerome. He'd been horribly neglected and abused. Child services tried to rehabilitate him, but the damage was too much, and he escaped from their custody. He was completely off their radar for seven years. My dad actually believed he was dead, at one point. 

"Anyways, after seven years, Jerome Napier returned to Gotham City. But he wasn't the same kid that had left. Something happened to him."

Barbara's voice lowered to a whisper. Wade shuffled his chair around the table and sat closer. 

"He called himself the Joker."

_-t_ _he laugh, the laugh, the laugh, echoing, echoing, echoing_ _-_

"He wasn't even human, anymore. He was completely insane. Killed just for the fun of it, men, women, children, the sick, the elderly, the disabled – didn't matter who, he killed them, just for the entertainment of it. 

"He declared war on the Batman, and they began to fight. It lasted years. He should have been caught sooner, but when he arrived, all of the sudden, all of these others came crawling out of the shadows, all in costume, all crazed, all bent on destroying everything and everyone, especially the Batman.

"My dad didn't sleep then. He was always either at a crime scene or at headquarters. And, if he ever was home, he was constantly on the phone with the mayor and the chief, trying to figure out how to stop them, how to hold them all. He didn't see anything beyond the crime, beyond the Joker. He didn't see me."

Barbara paused again, taking a deep sigh before continuing. "I was 13 when I first put on the mask.

"I'd been doing self-defense training with my dad my whole life. But things started to get really, really bad. Not even Batman could keep up, and he'd even recruited a sidekick, a kid named Robin, to help him out. It wasn't enough. 

"So, every night after my dad went into work, I put on my homemade costume, went onto the streets and did what I could to help. I was good at it, too. No one expected a little kid to show up, and they really didn't expect the little kid to be trained in five different forms of martial arts. 

"I made it on my own for about three months before running into the Batman. I'd been releasing a virus into the mainframe of a weapons laboratory when I was taken off-guard by this guy named The Scarecrow. Long story short, he created a fear toxin, which would cause immense fear in his victim before killing them. My back was to the door, and he'd shot me with it before I knew what had happened. I blacked out almost instantly.

"When I woke up, I was in this huge cave. The Batman was there, and the Robin. He knew he I was and warned me against fighting. But I argued with him. I couldn't, wouldn't let anything happen to my dad. I couldn't lose him too. And I was helping. They needed me, Gotham needed me.

"Batman gave in, but on one condition: that I follow his orders and fight with him. Either that, or he would tell my dad everything. 

"I agreed, and I became Batgirl. I fought alongside Batman and Robin for three years. The flow of criminals didn't stop, and my dad was always gone, but I'd found a new family. Batman and Robin became Bruce and Dick, and then we found Jason, and then I met all sorts of heroes from all over the world, and I didn't feel so alone anymore.

"I was sixteen when that all changed."

Wade grabbed hold of Barbara's hand. Glancing over at him, she frowned. "What?"

"You're shaking."

Barbara looked down at her fingers which were, in fact, shaking. 

"Is this okay?"

Barbara squeezed his hand in reply. 

"It was the first normal night we'd had in a long time. Dad was home on time from work, and the two of us were having dinner together for the first time in weeks. I was making this fancy chicken dish, so I was in and out of the kitchen constantly. He'd been watching the news ever since he'd got home. 

"I was walking some coffee over to my dad when the doorbell rang. I didn't think anything of it, I didn't even stop to check, I just opened it and - "

Barbara felt tears begin to fall down her face. Sniffling, she wiped them away with her free hand. 

"It was the Joker."

Wade gulped loudly beside her. 

"Before I knew what was happening, I heard this loud gunshot and suddenly my legs didn't work and I fell onto the ground and there was blood everywhere, all over the carpet. My dad ran into the room screaming and some guys I didn't know knocked him out and carried him away. I was sobbing, I asked the Joker why. He just laughed and left me there. I almost died. 

"Bruce found me, and his butler, Alfred, took me to the hospital. I lived, clearly, but I was paralyzed from the waist down. They found my dad a few days later, and Batman finally caught the Joker and sent him to incarceration in Arkham Asylum. But for dad and me – the damage was done. 

"No one, not even me, thought I would walk again. So, once I was discharged, I moved back to Gotham, and got back to work. There was no way I could go out in the field again, so I took over tech support for the Batfamily. Someone else became Batgirl, a new Robin joined the family, and pretty soon I was just Oracle, team hacker and cheerleader.

"But then, four years ago, some experimental technology was created at Palmer Tech. I was able to hack their system and find the tech. It was a chip specifically meant to repair spinal injuries and restore full mobility to those with spinal injuries or defects. 

"I tweaked with the engineering schematics, sent my results back to Palmer Tech, and was the first person to ever successfully regain their mobility after a paralytic attack.

"After about a year and a half of full time physical therapy, I was able to get back out into the field, but when I returned home to Gotham, I was promptly shut out – from the Batfamily, from the Justice League – our version of the Avengers - , from practically everyone. I got my legs back, but I lost my family, and I lost my freedom.

"My dad forced me to move back in with him and refused to let me leave the house. He worked for days at a time. I think he was terrified that something bad would happen to me again. I was – we were all each other had. So, I let him, for about a year or so. 

"I'd finally pestered my dad, and hacked Bruce's tech enough, that I got a job offer from Wayne Enterprises: work in their IT department, sixty hours a week. Dad was happy, because the Wayne Tower is probably – well, was – the safest place in Gotham, and Bruce was happy that he could use me to start building him new tech.

"So, I worked there for two years. That's where I built my AI, A.L.F.R.E.D. And that's where I was the night I found the Power Gem."

"Whoa," Wade breathed out. "What happened that night?"

"When I found the Power Gem?" Wade nodded madly in reply. 

"I'll show you," Barbara murmured. "A.L.F.R.E.D., play footage from Day 1 of consciousness on the kitchen monitor."

A large picture of fruit that was hung about Barbara's dining room table scooted away, revealing a large monitor. 

"Wait, what?" Wade gasped. The screen flickered to life and Wade leaned forward, mesmerized. 

Sitting back, Barbara shut her eyes and drank her margarita, as the sound of her memories echoed throughout her kitchen speakers. 

_There has been a breach in the Weapons Division -_

_H_ _e's trying to kill the Joker_ _-_

_Bring her to me! -_

_And what is a King, without his Queen? -_

_You and me, Batgirl, we're meant to be -_

_Barbara, please. Put the stone down. -_

_Goodbye._

Silence filled the kitchen as the recording stopped. Barbara opened her eyes hesitantly and found Wade staring at her, maskless, tear streaming down his scarred face.

Sighing, she squeezed his hand. 

"I'm sorry, Babs," he whispered.

Barbara nodded, new tears streaming down her face. "I know." 

Squeezing her hand in return, Wade looked down at their empty glasses. "We're gonna need more alcohol."

_________

" _Hic!_ So that's what I told him – Spider-Pete, you know – and he just sighed at me! He didn't take me seriously at all?"

Barbara was crying again, this time from laughter. After her sober story time with Wade, the mercenary had left, only to return a mere ten minutes later with three more bottles of liquor and three burrito bowls worth of chips and guacamole. Since then, Wade had taken it upon himself to cheer her up and was consequently dramatically retelling his failed attempts at wooing Spiderman. 

"Next time," she wheezed, "try not to ask him out in front of a dead body!"

"It was only mostly dead - "

"Ms. Gordon, " A.L.F.R.E.D.'s voice echoed through the speakers in her kitchen, "you are expected at Stark Coffee in three hours. I suggest you try to get some rest."

"Big man in the sky's right, Fancy Nancy. You should get some rest."

Giggling, Barbara let herself be pulled into a standing position by Wade and carried over to her sofa. "Thanks, Wade," she hiccuped.

"Not a problem. What are friends for?" Came the reply out of his mouth. Wade froze automatically at his own words.

However, Barbara just nodded in reply. "Friends," she murmured.

Setting her gently on the couch, Wade tucked a blanket around her chin and tiptoed out the front door, the redhead already fast asleep on the couch. "Night, British-butler-in-the-sky," he whispered.

"Good night, Mr. Wilson."

_________

"HA!" Peter yelled as Barbara stumbled into Stark Coffee. She groaned, adjusting her sunglasses. "I finally beat you here!"

"Shhhhhhhh," she shushed him, stumbling her way over to the counter.

"Don't worry, Steve's on a m – I mean, he's on a trip, you didn't miss him."

"PARKER. Shush."

He snorted. "Are you hungover?" Then, looking closer at the approaching woman, he squinted. "Are you drunk?"

Groaning, Barbara poked him in the shoulder as she hip-checked him away from the cash register. "Not drunk. Dead. Your boyfriend's fault."

Peter stammered. "My what?"

Barbara just grumbled in reply, something about "espresso for blood now." Peter just held his hands up and backed his way into the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two more chapters for ya today! These are flowing pretty well right now. Of course, I'm currently wrestling with like five other ideas that also want to be written, so it's a work in progress managing all of them. Sirius Black can be very persuasive when he wants to be ;)
> 
> Also, as much as I want Babs to be the best of friends with the Marvel ladies, I just can't resist her having Wade for a best friend. IT'S JUST HAPPENING AND I CAN'T STOP IT.


	13. Sister Golden Hair

"Ms. Lewis, the Quinjet has landed."

"Ugh, FINALLY!" Darcy groaned. Grabbing her megaphone, she turned to face Jane, who was lost in thought as she poured over some readings from SITCOM. "Hey, Juliet, your actual literal sex god has returned from war."

Wincing, Jane set down the papers and rolled her eyes. "It was just a meeting with S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Like I said, war. My iPod still remains in captivity! The time has come to lead our people to freedom, to fight the good fight, to - " Jane walked by Darcy and hit the off-switch on her megaphone. Darcy pouted, then set down the megaphone to follow her up to the landing pad. "You never let me have fun anymore."

Darcy's grumblings were soon drowned out by Jane's squeals as Thor swept her up into his arms and kissed her soundly. 

"Ugh," Darcy growled, watching the display. "How rude."

"Tell me about it," Clint added in, swinging an arm around the girl. 

"Hey, you seen Bruce?"

Clint chuckled and tugged on her ponytail affectionately. "He made a beeline for his room when we landed. I don't think he wanted a repeat of last time."

Darcy harrumphed and began to mutter about  _some_ people just not liking hugs and being overly stubborn when in the face of true love. Clint just laughed and patted her on the arm before walking away to his own quarters.

"Chin up, Lewis," Tony called from across the kitchen. "You'll wear ole Brucie down eventually."

A solitary bird was the only thing that replied.

_______

"Rise and shine, Steve-y Wonder!" Darcy hollered, pounding on his door. "It's almost nine in the morning! Your pancakes are getting cold!" 

Silence.

Darcy shot her best smile towards the ceiling. "JARVIS?"

The door to Steve's room swung open without a hitch.

"Thank you," Darcy sang as she stepped into the room. It was dark, and the bedsheets were still in pristine condition. Steve must not have gone to bed yet. She was about to exit the room when something caught her eye. Turning, Darcy froze at the sight.

A large pile of Stark Coffee cups were stacked against the far wall in a pyramid shape, Steve's name written prettily on the side.

"Darcy, what's taking so long - "

Darcy slept backwards out of the room and slammed the door. Turning to look at Jane, she stared at her quizzically before her face broke into a maniacal grin.

Jane took a step back from Darcy and began fidgeting with her access pass. "You have that look on your face again."

Darcy grabbed hold of Jane's hand and yanked her towards the elevator banks. Jane began to struggle but was unable to break Darcy's ironclad grasp. "I have to get back to the lab!"

"This is important!"

"Really?" She asked skeptically. Pivoting, Darcy shoved Jane into the elevator and hit the street level.

"Really!"

"More important than my work on the Einstein Rosen - "

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, the Rose Bowl gate, I know, I know, but this is much more important!"

Making a  _hmph_  sound, Jane crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Darcy. "Oh really? What is it, then?"

Darcy turned to face Jane before exiting the elevator. Jane blanched and peered closer at her expression. "Why do you have your meddling face - "

"Love, Janey!"

Jane frowned. "Love? What - "

Darcy grabbed hold of her hand again and pulled a stumbling Jane out the lobby doors and towards Stark Coffee. "I just have a hunch, okay? Follow my lead."

"Follow your lead? What - " Darcy shushed Jane as the two women entered Stark Coffee. 

A pretty redheaded woman peered at them from behind one of the oversized espresso machines. "Hey Darcy!"

"Babs! Thank God; you weren't here Tuesday, I thought something'd happened."

Jane watched as Peter strolled out of the back and smirked at Barbara. "Someone spent too much time in Margaritaville on Tuesday."

Grimacing, Barbara flung her coffee-stained towel at Peter, who dodged it with a laugh. "In my defense, it was my turn to nap in the kitchen anyways."

"For the record, next time you pay a visit to Margaritaville, take me with you. I do like my tequila," Darcy sang.

Jane snorted behind her. "That's an understatement."

Tensing momentarily, Darcy turned, grabbed hold of Jane –  _again –_ and shoved her towards the coffee counter. "Barbara, this is Dr. Jane Foster. She's one of the scientists I work with, and she's a huge fan of Mr. Roboto. Jane, this is Barbara, keeper of the sacred fruit."

"Sacred fruit?" Jane mouthed towards Barbara. Barbara just shrugged in reply before shaking Jane's hand with a warm smile.

"Nice to meet you, Dr. Foster."

Jane smiled demurely at Barbara. "Please, call me Jane."

"Are you here for your regular, Darcy?" Barbara asked, moving back towards the espresso machine. 

"Yep! Three Mr. Robotos for the lab rats, a From Russia With Love for me, and – Jane, what was it that Steve asked us to get for him?"

Darcy looked over at Barbara out of the corner of her eye and saw the redhead stiffen slightly. 

Jane began to flounder behind her, elbowing Darcy sharply in the ribs. "Uh, well - "

"I know, I can't remember either! Hey Babs, know anyone named Steve who comes in here?"

Barbara turned back slowly to face them, a smile affixed on her face that wasn't quite as natural as her other ones. "There are a few," she replied slowly.

"Okay, our Steve would be tall, blonde, gorgeous, abs you could bake cookies on - "

Barbara flushed and nodded.

Darcy grinned. "Great! He just got back from escorting Mr. Stark to Japan, and I told him I'd bring him some coffee."

Barbara's shoulders relaxed almost instantly as she began working the espresso machine. "Steve works for Mr. Stark too?"

"Yeah! Mostly international security work." Peter barked out a laugh and then covered it with a cough. Darcy turned to glare at him. Flushing, he grabbed a cup of water and began to drink.

"Oh, cool."

"Yeah, he's kind of a big deal."

Jane leaned over to Darcy. "Laying it on a bit thick, are we?" She whispered. Darcy just replied by stuffing her hand over Jane's mouth.

A few moments later Barbara walked around from behind the espresso machine, four drinks in a coffee carrier, and one large one with "Steve" emblazoned on the side in neat cursive. "Here you go!"

"Thanks, Babs. You're the best! In fact, I - "

"Need to get back to the lab? Yeah, me too." Darcy began to sputter as Jane wrapped her arm around Darcy's and proceeded to pull her out of the coffee shop. "Nice to meet you Barbara!"

The sound of Peter and Barbara's goodbyes were muffled by the swinging door of Stark Coffee. 

"Hey, I wasn't done in there - "

Jane stopped and eyed Darcy critically. "I know what you're up to, Darcy."

Humming to herself, Darcy tried her best to look innocent. "Whatever do you mean - "

"I know what you're trying to - " Darcy dashed around Jane, weaving through traffic as coffee sloshed around in her hands.

"Darcy! DARCY!"

____

The thing is, Jane might be the one that exercises on a more regular basis, but Darcy is fast when she is on a mission. In fact, Darcy was halfway through the door to the lab, when Jane finally exited the elevator. 

"DARCY - "

"I have the coffee!" Darcy screeched, the door to the lab swinging open with a bang.

Tony and Steve both jumped at the sound. A distant  _clang_ echoed through the lab, followed by a low moan.

Dracy winced, setting down the coffee carrier. "Sorry, Bruce."

"Good God, Lewis, warn me next time you try to break the sound barrier!" 

Steve shook his head at Tony, grabbing his shield back from Tony's fidgety clutches. "It's not a big deal - "

"It's a very big deal! The tech I have in here - "

" - can remake it easily - "

"Let's just be grateful it wasn't a  _Big_ deal," Bruce stepped past the bickering men. 

At that, both Steve and Tony visibly winced, their spat forgotten.

Stepping over to Darcy, Bruce took his coffee with a soft "thanks", and made his way back towards the far wall of the lab. 

Jane fell through the door, gasping, as Darcy handed Stark his coffee order.

"Foster! Late bird has to write up the lab reports!"

Jane shot a narrow glare at Darcy as she handed her the final Mr. Roboto, a smug grin on her face. Jane drew her fingers across her neck in reply. 

"Anyways, I'll let you know if I notice anything different, alright Cap?"

"Great. Thanks, Stark." Steve pivoted on his heel, about to exit the room when Darcy shoved a large coffee container into his hands.

Frowning, he looked down at the cup, and then look up at Darcy. "What's this?"

Darcy began to rock back and forth on the balls of her feet, an all-too-innocent smile on her face. "Your drink order! Barbara sent it over, free of charge."

Steve's heart began to beat faster, a blush taking over his features. Glancing back down at the cup, he turned it over in his hands – and there it was, his name in brightly-colored letters, in her cursive writing, confident yet sweet, just like - 

He blushed harder, stammered "thanks" to Darcy, and fled from the lab.

"What was that about?" Stark asked, looking at the door quizzically.

"Nothing!" Jane replied a bit too quickly, shooting Darcy another glare. "Let's get to work, we don't have much time before your dinner with Pepper."

As Tony turned back to his computer screen, Jane mouthed a long sentence towards Darcy.  _You and I are going to talk about this later_.

Darcy merely stuck one hand over her eyes, sang "I can't hear you!" In her highest voice, and skipped out of the room, coffee in hand.

//

"For the last time, Darcy, you shouldn't get involved!"

Jane and Darcy were aggressively whispering to each other in the main kitchen later on that evening. Steve and Sam were in the living room, arguing loudly as they played Mario Kart. Tony and Thor were gone, the former on a date, the latter attending a celebratory feast on Asgard. Natasha was sitting on the couch by Steve and Sam, looking amused as their voices increased in both volume and colorful vernacular. Bruce was pacing back and forth behind the couch, probably listening to a motivational speaker or something. Darcy  _had_ planned on forcing him into a cuddle, but Jane had cornered her after dinner, and they'd been arguing ever since.

"Jane, this is what I'm meant to do!"

"What, play Cupid?"

"Nope, no way," Clint chimed in, dropping down from the ceiling vents. "Darcy's terrible with a bow and arrow."

"You aren't helping. And if I wanted to outshoot you, Legolas, I totally could. Maybe. In theory. If you were severely intoxicated and maybe had lost a hand."

Shrugging, Clint moved to stand next to Darcy. "$50 says I could still beat you."

"You're on."

"Darcy!" Jane snapped. Natasha glanced over at them, eyebrow quirked.

Blushing, Jane cleared her throat, and then turned her attention back towards Darcy. "All I'm saying is, don't try to force anything, okay? If it's meant to happen, it'll happen."

"I dropped in at the wrong time, what are we talking about here?"

Jane rolled her eyes and sighed deeply. "Darcy's trying to set Steve up with a barista."

Clint hummed noncommittally. "Is she hot?"

"Very," Darcy whispered as Jane reached around and punched Clint on the shoulder.

"Ow, okay, fine! Have you asked Steve about it?"

"Well - "

"No," Jane muttered hotly. "She's trying to do it behind his back."

Clint sighed.  "He's a big boy now, mama bear. He can handle it."

"I know," Darcy whined, "I just know I can help!"

Chuckling, Clint pulled her in for a hug. "And when he asks for your help, by all means, take the girl on dates for him if you have to! Until then, you should probably stay out of it. Besides, aren't you trying to seduce Brucie-boy?"

Jane looked at Darcy disapprovingly. "Really?"

Sighing, Darcy looked over at the pacing detective. "It's a work in progress."

"That's one way of looking at it," Clint snorted.

"Okay, that's it! Rogers, Wilson, get your butts off the couch, Clint and I have a bet to settle."

"I thought the bet was archery - " Jane interrupted, at the same time that Clint shot Darcy a wicked grin.

"Oh, you're on."

_____

"Good morrow, Lady Darcy," Thor thundered as Darcy stumbled into the kitchen. She might look awake, but she certainly didn't  _feel_ awake.  _"_ The day shines brightly upon us!"

"Hi Thor," Darcy grumbled, shuffling towards the island in the center of the kitchen. Clint and Natasha scooted to the other side of the table, making room for Darcy to grab ahold of some breakfast food.

She had almost reached the island when a maniacally grinning Thor swept Darcy up into a large hug.

"ACK! Hi, hi, hi, okay, yes, I missed you too – need – oxygen - "

"Ahh, Lewis, great, you're up!" Tony called as he walked into the kitchen. "Fury's gonna be here in ten. Something about a team debriefing?"

Darcy groaned, rubbing her ribs. "Again?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "Apparently. We're all here right now, so he wants to go over some diplomacy measures or something - "

"Wait, did you say that everyone's here?"

Tony paused, eyes flickering uncertainly between Darcy and the rest of the team. "Yes - "

Running forward, Darcy shoved Clint's toast into his mouth, threw Thor's dirty plate into the sink, and shoved the two of them towards the conference room.

"Darcy! What are you - "

"I too am perplexed, Master Bird - "

Frowning, Natasha watched as Darcy began ferreting the Avengers towards the common room. She wisely avoided Natasha, but everyone else – even an unusually irate Bruce – was fair game. "What's gotten into you?"

"Today's the day!" Darcy squealed back as she chased Bruce down the hall.

Natasha looked down at Jane, who was currently crouching behind the island. She quirked an eyebrow at the scientist. Jane just shrugged in reply.

"Why are you down there?"

"It's safer!" Jane hissed back. 

"JANEY!" Darcy shrieked. Yelping, Jane turned around to see Darcy tapping her foot at her. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Well - "

"No time for excuses, we need to go! Natasha, you too, it's time!"

Squeaking, Jane was unable to resist as Darcy dragged her down the hallway.

Breathing in the quiet, Natasha glanced at the ceiling. "JARVIS? Any insight?"

"Ms. Lewis remains an elusive being as always, Agent Romanoff."

_______

Fury was perplexed when he arrived at Avengers Tower. He normally scheduled his meetings two hours early, because no one arrived until after an hour and a half passed, and he liked to have a predictable schedule. Usually, he spent the two hours before the meeting reading, or meditating, or seeing if he could hack Stark's mainframe. It was the only downtime he ever really got these days, and if there was one thing he could count on, it was that taxes would always come due, death takes everyone, and the Avengers always showed up late to meetings.

Which is why he stared, shocked, at the group of grumbling heroes that were all assembled in the meeting room when he arrived.

"Well, to what do I owe this pleasant surprise?"

"To 'whom', you mean," Bruce grumbled from his side of the table. 

"Yeah, Darce, what gives?"

"You know I hate arriving on-time to anything!"

"We're ten minutes early, actually - " 

" - UGH, early? That's even worse!"

"I just thought it would be a nice way to start the day, you know? Everyone's here, it's a nice day outside, everyone's basically conscious. Sounds like a great Friday to me! Now, I'll just go across the street, get us our coffee, and then we can sta - "

"Ms. Lewis, while I appreciate you trying to keep everyone awake this morning, you do not need to make a trip over to Stark Coffee."

"NO!"

Clint, the son of a bitch, actually gasped. 

"Darcy," Jane whispered, petting her arm.

"I'm sorry, but no, I'm putting my foot down."

"Ms. Lewis," Fury sighed, rolling his eyes.  _I knew it was too good to be true._

"Do you know how long I've been trying to get everyone in the same room together? MONTHS, Fury. Months. I haven't had a weekend off in three months, I'm severely dehydrated right now, I'm on the horniest day of my cycle and I'm currently in a pretty frustrating dry spell - "

Bruce choked on his water.

"And all I want in this world is to just see the look on everyone's faces when I GIVE THEM THEIR DAMN AVENGERS COFFEE."

"Ms. Lewis, I appreciate the sentiment - "

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, back up. What do you mean, 'Avenger's Coffee'?" Clint asked, cutting Fury off.

"Well, they're really more 'Avengers-adjacent' than Avengers-themed coffee drinks, something about licensing patents or something, I'm not really sure, but yeah, Stark Coffee has Avengers specialty drinks."

Clint snorted, pushing back in his chair. "No way!"

"No, really! Ask Steve! Steve knows!"

Everyone at the table turned to glance at Steve. "Well? Steve?" Bruce queried.

Steve blushed and stammered a response. "She's right - "

At that, Tony leaped out of his seat, shoved Clint's chair towards Fury, and made a mad dash out of the room and to the elevator banks. 

"Oh no you don't!" Clint hollered, jumping onto the table and leaping down the hallway.

"Suck it, Barton!"

"STARK!"

Darcy ran after the two, Natasha evenly keeping pace with her. "You really shouldn't be this out of breath from a sprint."

Gasping, Darcy pushed the door open to the stairs and began jogging down. "Not helping, Natasha."

The sound of pounding footsteps echoed behind them as Steve, Bruce, Thor, Fury, and Jane followed the others down the stairs, out the door, and across the street to Stark Coffee.

Tony may have gotten a head's start, but Clint had caught up by the time they reached the front door, and the two men were currently pushing each other, trying to fight their way in.

Rolling her eyes, Darcy pushed them forward with a mighty shove, and the two men stumbled through the front door at the same time. 

"Good morning! Welcome to Stark Coff – Mr. Stark!" Peter jumped to attention at front register.

Evading Clint's outstretched foot, Tony shoved him back towards Darcy and skidded to a stop in front of the counter. "Morning, Parker."

"Everything all right?" Peter asked, watching as the rest of the Avengers struggled to make their way into the store.

"A little birdie told me you had Avengers specialty drinks?"

Peter brightened, and not because Clint had just hip-checked Tony further down the counter. "Oh, yeah, they're really popular!"

"You make them?" Clint asked, nodding towards the board.

At that, Peter began to laugh heartily. "Yeah right. I just helped name them, Barbara came up with the whole idea." Cupping his hands around his mouth, Peter turned and hollered towards the back. "Hey, Babs! I need some coffee!"

" - Really, Captain Rogers, this is not an appropriate use of government time - " He could hear Fury muttering in the background. Amazingly, instead of agreeing with Fury, or pulling Tony into an argument, Peter watched with amusement as Steve instead flushed and tried his very hardest to look everywhere besides the back room.

"Coming!" The sound of pans clanging together traveled towards them, and soon Barbara appeared, finger-combing her now disheveled hair back into its long wavy state. "Sorry about that, that last batch was putting up a good fight – oh, hey Darcy, Jane!" She smiled. Her eyes widened slightly when they landed on Steve. "Steve, good to see you too!"

Blushing, Steve just coughed in reply. 

"Barbara, this is our boss, Tony Stark," Peter began, nodding towards Tony, who bowed in reply. "The guy next to him is Clint, you know Darcy and Steve, the other redhead is Natasha – Clint and Natasha are 'international security', like Steve, and the guy with the eyepatch is their supervisor - Bruce works with Jane and Tony in the labs, and the guy in the far back – well, that's Thor."

"Thor, huh," Barbara replied, taking in the Norse god for the first time. "A bit taller than I expected."

"He's my boyfriend," Jane gushed out. "He visits a lot."

"Awwwww," Barbara sighed, "that's so sweet! Well, it's nice to meet all of you; were you here to order some drinks?"

"Well, we heard about the Avengers drinks you had – which, Lewis, remind me to get Pepper to iron out those patent issues as soon as possible – and we just had to check it out."

"Excellent!" Barbara replied, smiling at Tony. "What can I get you?"

Clint elbowed Tony out of the way. "Beauty before age, Stark. One 'Bird of Prey' please, extra hot."

"Coming right up!" She smiled and made her way over to the espresso bank.

Rolling his eyes, Tony was about ready to place his order, when he saw Steve in the corner of his eye. It wasn't unusual to see Steve blushing – honestly, even  _mention_ dating and he turns into a tomato – but never, not once since Tony and Steve met, had Steve ever looked at a woman the way he was looking at the barista, Barbara. 

Stepping backwards, Tony allowed Darcy and the rest to cut in line, and he walked over to Steve. "See something you like, Cap?"

Starting, Steve turned to face Tony, a blush still on his face. "It's – well, it's not what - "

"She's not bad. Smart, pretty, didn't so much as blink at Fury." Tony watched carefully as Steve's gaze turned back to fix on Barbara. "You like her," he said finally.

Sighing, Steve's shoulders slumped as he watched Clint flirt and tease and Barbara, who laughed in reply as she served up their drinks. "That obvious, huh?"

"Maybe not to her." Tony nudged him closer. "Ask her out."

He could almost  _see_ Steve's mind go into red alert. "What? I can't - "

"Why not?"

"Look, our lives, they're complicated enough and she - " he gestured towards her. "Complicated," he finished.

Tony snorted, clapping Steve on the back. "Can't argue with you there. Women are complicated, all right. But some complications," he said softly, thinking about Pepper, "some complications are worth it." Squeezing Steve's shoulder, Tony stepped forward and rejoined the line.

__

"This drink! I like it! ANOTHER!"

"No, Thor - "

The styrofoam coffee container bounced on the floor. Thor stared at it, confused, while Jane groaned. "I thought we'd talked about this."

Barbara just laughed in reply and started up the espresso machines again. "No worries! I'm just glad he's a fan!"

Not only glad but impressed. Thor had downed his entire Java of Thunder – an extra-large mystery chocolate mocha with marshmallow syrup, whipped cream, and candied marshmallows - in a mere matter of seconds before demanding another one. 

Mentally calculating just how she was going to have to adjust the recipe to actually satisfy the god's appetite, Barbara forced herself not to look at Steve, standing alone near the back of the coffee shop. She had noticed him talking with Stark while everyone else was placing their orders, but it was too noisy for her to hear anything. Not that it was any of her business. It was just Steve, with his warm eyes, and adorable smile, and the way he stammered anytime he got near - 

"Fuck," Barbara muttered to herself as she found her gaze once again on Steve.

"It just hit you?" Peter asked, picking up the pieces of the styrofoam cup near her feet.

Barbara flushed. "Oh, buzz off."

Peter just laughed in reply. Rolling her eyes, Barbara poured the extra-extra-large Java of Thunder and handed it to Thor, who beamed at her in reply.

"Many thanks, fair maiden! I shall return soon to ingest more of this mysterious concoction!"

"Yeah, thanks Barbara," Jane called as she began to shoo Thor and company out the door. "Sorry about the mess!"

"Don't worry about it, Peter needs the exercise!"

"Hey!"

Giggling, Jane waved back in reply, and a chorus of "goodbye" and "thank you" followed after.

Waving, Barbara turned back towards the espresso machine, only to find Steve standing next to it on the other side of the counter, looking at her expectantly.

"You know, I'm just gonna – gotta go, something out back - " Peter turned on his heel and speed walked into the back room of the store.

Shaking her head, Barbara turned back to look at Steve. "How - "

"Do you like food?"

Barbara blinked, frowning slightly. "Well - "

Steve blushed, and began to stammer. "I mean, do you like to eat food?"

Her expression turned quizzical. She opened her mouth to speak further, but Steve just stammered on even more. 

"I mean, do you like to go places to eat food? Like, a restaurant, or - "

Barbara's expression slowly morphed into a soft smile as Steve continued to chatter on. 

"Yes, I do." 

This time it was Steve that paused, confused. "Sorry?"

"I love trying out new restaurants. In fact, there's a new Italian place that just opened up near my duplex. Do you want to try it out with me?"

Steve stared at her, his eyes slowly beginning to warm up. "Are you asking me to go out for dinner?"

 "Yeah. If you'd like to."

Steve's face broke into a large grin as he chuckled. "Great. That sounds great," he finally replied.

Giggling –  _giggling!_  - Barbara grabbed hold of a napkin. "Does tomorrow night work?"

"Yes! Unless I'm needed last minute - "

"Right, you do international security for Mr. Stark! Okay, well let's plan on tomorrow night anyways, and you can let me know if something changes. Here," she handed him her name and phone number scribbled on the Stark Coffee napkin. "My number, just in case you need to cancel. Do you have texting?"

Steve nodded, doing his best not to crumple the napkin too much between his sweaty palms.

"Great! I'll send you the address to the restaurant; we can meet there, if you'd like?"

"That sounds perfect," he breathed, the smile still brightening his features.

"Good, I'm glad," Barbara's voice fell to a whisper as she gazed at him. "Wait! I almost forgot!" Disappearing behind the espresso machine, she emerged a few moments later with two large drinks. "I put your name on yours," she exclaimed. "The other one's for Thor. He seems to go through them pretty quickly."

Steve chuckled, accepting both. "That's an understatement, for sure." Then, smiling softly at Barbara, he made his way back towards the front door. "I'll see you soon, Barbara." Unable to take in her smiling face any longer, he shot into the sunny day, across the street, and was back in the meeting room with the other Avengers before he could register what had happened.

" - if we could just get started - "

"I have a date," Steve announced, stepping into the room.

Darcy squealed, Tony began to clap, and Natasha smiled at him proudly. "Good for you, Steve."

"She's a knock-out, that one - "

"Ah ah ah, Barton, off limits - "

"I have a date," Steve said again.

Tony stopped clapping, angling himself towards Bruce. "Didn't he say that already?"

"I have a date," Steve repeated.

"Yep, he's in shock," Bruce replied. "Come sit down over here Cap, we'll talk all about it."

"I have a date," Steve mumbled again, dazed. "Thor, more coffee," he said, thrusting the Java of Thunder at him. The god squealed and began pouring the coffee down his throat.

Jane moaned as she watched Thor take in the caffeine. "Great, now he's never going to sleep."

"Ahhhhh," Thor sighed, tossing the empty cup on the floor. "Never fear, Captain! We will help you to woo the fair maiden of the sacred fruit!"

Darcy looked over at Jane and Natasha worriedly as Thor, Clint, Bruce, and Tony descended on Steve, talking to him all at once. "Anyone want to play fairy godmother?"

"I've already called Pepper," Natasha replied from over the top of her From Russia With Love. 

Sighing, Darcy shot Natasha her most loving gaze. "What would I be without you?"

"In jail for public indecency and stalking British royalty."

"Hey! Actually, no, that's probably pretty accurate."

Jane wrenched Darcy's coffee out of her hands and began chugging Darcy's Spidey Sense.

"I was drinking that!"

Jane just glared at her in reply, before sipping the drink urgently through the straw. "I deserve this."

Darcy just nodded in reply. "Yep, not gonna fight this one."

"Smart girl," her boss/best friend replied.

A sudden airhorn burst to life in the room. Everyone fell silent and turned to face the front.

"As fascinating as Captain Roger's love life is, we need to debrief about the U.N. Hero Initiative before I leave today. So, if you don't mind, the sooner we start, the sooner I can leave and drink an entire bottle of whiskey. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal, sir," Clint replied.

"Excellent. Now, the United Nations is planning on introducing a proposal in three months' time that would greatly impact - "

Steve focused on breathing and the sound of Fury's voice, and eventually he was fully engaged in Fury's presentation. However, every once in a while, a smiling face would appear in his mind, and his heart would beat faster, his palms would sweat, and Steve would smile in spite of himself.

Tomorrow night couldn't come soon enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm actually stupidly proud of this chapter. We're finally getting places, guys! Of course, the Avengers don't think Barbara knows - which she does - and she knows that they don't know that she knows, and she's not going to try to forcefully integrate with them or anything, just observe from the outside. I just didn't have time here to see her actually talk with the other Avengers, but that's definitely going to happen down the road. There was just enough going on here that I didn't need it. Anyways, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and I'm hoping to have another batch sometime next week (pending this cold doesn't completely derail my creative process).


	14. All Shook Up

"Ms. Gordon."

Groaning, Barbara smacked her eyes over her hands and shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it."

"It is understandable for a person to experience nerves in anticipation of an encounter with a paramour."

"Is that what they're calling it these days?" A voice very close to Barbara's ear muttered.

"What the - "

"Never fear, Cinderella, your Fairy Wademother is here!"

Barbara sat straight up on her sofa, smacking her head into Wade's in the process. Wincing, she rubbed her forehead tenderly, all the while glaring at the man in red. "How did you get in here?"

Wade, who was seemingly unaffected by the smack to the head, waved his hand in her face lackadaisically. "Nothing you need to worry about, but you'll need to replace your next-door neighbor's flower pot. And kitchen ceiling. And bathroom wall. And, actually, most of the bathroom - "

Barbara stilled. "A.L.F.R.E.D. - "

"Contractors have been contacted, and the replacement petunias should arrive within the next twenty-four hours."

Sighing, Barbara continued to massage her temples. She'd returned home from Stark Coffee less than twenty minutes earlier and proceeded to scream into a pillow before flinging herself on the sofa and ignoring A.L.F.R.E.D.'s encouragements to talk about _it_.

"So," Wade sang as he jumped over and sat on the arm of her sofa, "tell me everything!"

"About what?"

Wade gasped comically, pulling his mask down with both hands, giving the sewn-on eye patches a look of wide-eyed shock. "About what? About WHAT? About your date with Captain America, that's what!"

She frowned. "How do you know?" Then she sighed, looking at Wade annoyed. "Peter?"

"Honey butt can't keep anything from me, Barbie, you know this. But stop changing the subject! Tell me about the date – I mean, Peter already told me everything, but I want to hear everything all over again, in your own words, using quotes to support your analysis."

Barbara moaned, throwing her head over the back of the couch. "This is such a bad idea."

"Uh uh, nope, wrong, this is a great idea! A fantastic idea!" Wade's voice grew louder as he began to wave his hands around. "You invite him out to dinner, win him over with your feminine wiles, gas him with some chloroform, commandeer a passing freighter ship, get married in international waters, bing bang boom happily ever after and you're welcome!"

Sighing, Barbara ran her fingers through her hair with both hands. "It's not that simple, Wade."

"You're right," he nodded to himself. "Much easier to kidnap the Pope. Why didn't I think of that before?"

"Okay, no, we're not kidnapping the Pope." Lifting her head up, Barbara shifted until she was leaning against the opposite arm of the sofa and facing Wade. "I should cancel."

"What? Why?"

"Because! I'm not from around here - "

"It's your home now, though - "

"I don't know hardly anyone in this dimension - "

"False, you have me, Petey, Wolvie, Beast mode, Petey, Lewis and the news, me, hey did I say Petey - "

"I just – someone's going to get hurt," Barbara yelled finally. "I can't tell him about my past, I can't tell him that I'm Oracle, and the most powerful object in the universe is currently residing in my spine, and for every person that finds out, it's another person that's in danger! And even if it did work out, if my past and my lying and this stone wasn't enough to discourage him, it just – things wouldn't work out."

Wade was silent for a few moments after Barbara's outburst. When he spoke again, it was calmly and quietly. "Has Steve told you he's Captain America?"

Sighing, Barbara shook her head, wiping at her eyes.

"Then it would be pretty dickish of Truth, Justice, and the American Way to be mad at you for keeping some things a secret, huh?"

Barbara nodded again.

"Look, even though Cap has a dick, he isn't a dick, okay? He'd get it. Anyone would. Hell, Wolvie understands, and he's the dickiest dick of them all!"

Snorting, Barbara smiled softly at Wade. "You can stop saying the word 'dick' now."

"Who, me? Never!"

At that Barbara laughed and Wade, feeling the tension in the room drop, scooched down off the arm so he was sitting across from Barbara on the couch.

"Look, Babs, you're a rad chic, and if for some reason he's too stupid to see it, I'll be the first in line to un-alive him for ya. But as great as he is, you can't marry a British grandpa who lives in your iPod. Right, Alfie?"

"Actually," Barbara cut in, "it's a WayneTech - "

"I couldn't have said it better myself, Mr. Wilson."

Wade gestured wildly at the ceiling. "See?"

Chuckling, Barbara shrugged her shoulders, a small smile on her face.

"Good," Wade nodded. "Now, here's what we're going to do. You're going to make us nachos using that six-cheese blend that's in your fridge - "

"When were you in my fridge?"

"SHHH, Wadey's speaking. You're going to make us nachos with that six-cheese blend and tell me all about the stupid boys who've broken your heart in the past while I sculpt a life-like effigy of them out of the remains of your neighbor's wooden bathroom cabinet. Then, once we're done eating, we're going to burn the effigy in the backyard as a way of cleansing this space from the assholes of your past, and then you'll try on all the dresses I ordered for you at least three times each until we've narrowed it down to the final ten, and we'll do Russian roulette from there. Deal?"

Frowning, Barbara was about to respond when the doorbell rang.

"Perfect!" Wade pulled Barbara to her feet, shoved her towards the door, and made a beeline for the kitchen. "I'll start frying up Betsy the Bovine for our nachos, and you get the door."

"I - "

Wade disappeared into the kitchen with a whoop.

Sighing, Barbara opened the door and found herself face to face with a sweaty-looking FedEx man.

"Mrs. Captain America?"

She smacked her forehead with her hand. "I guess."

"Great." Turning around, the sweaty man hollered at three other perspiring workers, who were in the midst of unloading seven oversized boxes from the back of a U-Haul. "In here fellas!"

"I'm sorry," Barbara asked, frowning. "What is all of that?"

The man flipped through his clipboard. "Three shipments from Neiman Marcus, two from Angie's Vintage, one from Elie Saab, and a crate from Rosco's Exotic Pet Emporium."

Looking back up at Barbara, he gazed at her quizzically. "Funny. Wouldn't have pegged you as a fruit bat loving kind of gal."

Barbara steadied her expression. "Excuse me for one second." Spinning around, she walked purposely back into her house.

"WADE!"

Something crashed further in the house, followed by a loud shriek. "HELP ME, OBI-WAN KENOBI!"

"Apologies, sir, but this is beyond my purview - "

"WADE! YOU GET BACK HERE - "

"WHAT? THEY WERE ON SALE! BUY ONE GET SEVENTEEN FREE!"

The delivery man snorted, turning his back on the shrieks and crashes coming out of the house. "Millennials."

___________

"It's normal to be nervous, Steve."

He sighed into the phone's receiver. "I just – I don't know how to feel about this, Peg."

Peggy Carter's voice chuckled in his ear. "You, not good with feelings? Will the surprises never end?"

Steve grinned in spite of himself for a moment before sobering again. "It's just – Peggy, you - "

"Now, stop right there, Captain Rogers," Peggy's voice became stern. "We've talked about this."

"I know, but - "

"I've said it once, and I'll say it again: you have no need to feel badly about me, Steven. I lived a good life and I loved a good man." Her voice became softer, like it always did when she talked about her husband. "Daniel was the best thing that could have happened to me. You may have been my first love, Steve, but he was my greatest.

"So, don't you dare feel guilty for one single second about finding someone to love, Steven Grant Rogers. You take this girl out, you have a nice time, and don't let some ill-placed guilt keep you from being happy."

His eyes began to brim with tears. Sniffling, he held his hand up in front of his eyes, rubbing them to stop them from watering. "I know, Peg. I know. I'm – I'm scared, that's all."

"I was too," Peggy replied softly. "But love – it's even better the second time around. Just you wait and see, Steven.

"Now," she continued, her voice getting louder, "I would to chat with you longer, but you've got a date to get ready for, and I've got to go relieve Marcus of his Oreos."

At that Steve burst into a loud laugh, any sad emotions forgotten. "You always were a cheat when it came to playing cards, Peg."

She sniffed demurely. "I don't know what you're referring to, Captain Rogers. But you have a nice time tonight, you hear?"

He nodded. "Yes, Ms. Carter."

"That's Mrs. Souza to you, Mr. Rogers."

He nodded again, slower this time. "Good night, Peg," he said finally.

He could hear the smile in her voice as she replied. "Good night, Steve."

The call disconnected, and Steve looked over at a waiting Pepper, who was watching him expectantly. "Thank you. I needed that."

"I know," she replied, a serene smile on her face. "Ready to suit up, Captain?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

___

A few minutes later, Steve took an appraising look at his appearance in the mirror. "Are you sure this isn't too much?"

Pepper's heels clicked on the floor as she walked over to him and adjusted his olive-green tie. "Absolutely. You should've seen what Tony wore when we went."

Pepper watched with a small grin as Steve nodded at himself in the mirror. "I can do this."

_One Louboutin, two Louboutins, three Louboutins -_

"I can't do this."

Looking up at the ceiling, Pepper sighed. "You absolutely can. This is totally in your wheelhouse."

" - 40s night, what kind of restaurant has a 40s night?"

"A very successful one."

"What if she doesn't like it? What if she's put off by the whole era? What if - "

"Steve," Pepper spoke up. Turning around, he saw her scrolling through his phone.

"When did you take - "

"Steve," she began again, reading from his phone. "I booked our reservations at Mancini's for tomorrow night at 7:00. Apparently, Saturdays are swing-dancing nights at Mancini's, they have a live band and everything. I'm not sure if that's something you're interested, but I'm game if you are!" Pepper looked up at him with a smirk. "I think Barbara will be just fine."

Throwing his shoulders back, Steve nodded again. "You're right. You're right. Okay."

And with that, Steve swept past Pepper, down the hall, and into the lounge, where he was greeted with the sight of his teammates standing around with cameras, cocktails, and a large, repurposed pink banner that said "It's a Girl(friend)!"

Steve froze and paled. "I take it back. This is a bad idea."

Pepper emerged from behind him and glared at Tony. "What did I tell you?"

"Not to embarrass him or make him nervous, I know, I know, but in my defense, the banner was Barton's idea."

"No way, don't you dare drag me into this, Stark."

Pepper quirked her eyebrow and then looked over at Natasha, who was smirking into her glass. "Natasha?"

"Clint glitter glued everything."

Clint turned to face Natasha, aghast. "After everything we've been through?"

Natasha took a swig of her whiskey. "It was the best tactical decision."

It was at that moment Darcy ran over and yelled "Smile!"

Steve grimaced at the bright flash of light. "Uh - "

"Darcy!" He heard Jane scold her. "Bruce, I thought you said you were going to try to get the camera off of her!"

A thoroughly rumpled Bruce peeked out from behind Thor, who was busy slurping on another Java of Thunder.

"Try being the key word there, Foster."

"Honestly, I'm surprised Bruce survived the enthusiastic groping for so long," Tony called over, cutting off Clint and Pepper's squabble.

Even Steve winced at the sound of Jane whacking Darcy on the arm. "Darcy!"

"What? He said he was feeling cold!"

Nodding to himself, Steve began to slowly walk backwards out of the room.

"And where do you think you're going?"

Steve jumped before pivoting to find himself face to face with Natasha. "Surely, you're not retreating before the battle has even started, Captain."

Sighing, Steve shook his head. "Nope, never, wouldn't dream of it."

Tilting her head, Natasha narrowed her eyes at him. "You go on that date, and you have a nice time. That's an order."

Nodding, Steve "Yes, Ma'am"ed his way across the room and into the elevator.

"Hey, good luck, Cap!" Clint called after him. The others joined in the chorus, waving as the elevator doors slid shut and carried Cap to the basement.

As soon as the elevator dinged, announcing that Cap had reached the garage level, Tony whistled loudly. "All right team, it's a go! Barton, Romanoff, get dressed, your ride leaves in five. Lewis, Foster, Thor, Banner, make your way to the Iron Van and get into position. JARVIS, keep us posted on Cap's status and advise if we need to enact a contingency plan. Pepper, you're with me, Operation "Keep the Media Distracted" is a go."

The team split off so quickly Pepper didn't even have time to reprimand them further. "What is happening right now - "

"Don't worry about it, hot stuff. What do you say we crash Hammer's party at the Met?"

_______

It had only taken three plates of nachos and four margaritas, but Barbara finally told Wade the entire story about her and Grayson. He'd been appropriately sympathetic and ragey, and if Barbara was being honest, the ceremonial burning of Dick's effigy _had_ made her feel much better.

All of the bat guano now in her back yard, now so much.

Anyways, once they had cleansed her "aural sphere of existence" (Wade's words) from the presence of Dick (which made Wade snicker every time he said it), they'd then begun the tedious process of going through everything that he'd purchased.

In all honesty, Barbara was surprised: out of all of the dresses he had ordered, there were only six that needed to be burned immediately. It was in the midst of trying on all the dresses that Barbara had remembered she needed to make reservations.

"Uh oh," she said.

"I don't know what you're talking about, that dress is great!"

Barbara glared at him from behind her phone screen. The oversized ball gown was a garish shade of Barbie pink with a large bedazzled unicorn on the skirt. "We're burning this one."

"What? No!" Wade whined.

"Either we burn it, or you can have it."

"Deal! I bought it for myself anyways," he huffed.

Rolling her eyes, Barbara shimmied out of the dress behind the makeshift changing room and threw on a robe. "Moving on, apparently every Saturday at Mancini's is swing night."

"Hey, it's the age of free love - "

"Not that kind of swinging, swing dancing! As in, its 1940s themed! They have a jazz band and everything!"

"Yeah, so?"

"So, that's kind of Steve's actual era," she replied, stepping out from behind the sheet. "What if it just makes him depressed and he has a bad time?"

"Hmm," Wade sang, "and I thought you weren't sure about dating him."

Barbara flushed, sitting down across from Wade. "Not because I don't like him enough. I like him a lot. That's why I'm worried."

"Well, why don't you just ask him? See what he says!"

Surprisingly, it was excellent advice, and Wade and Barbara had been able to make significant progress through the mountain of cocktail dresses Wade had ordered before Steve has responded.

"Well? What'd he say?" Wade asked, peering out from behind the now car-sized pile of tulle cast offs.

Barbara was shocked. "He's in."

"Wahoo!" Wade jumped up, causing tulle skirts to go sailing in all directions. "I know exactly what you're going to wear."

"Wade - "

"Trust me, okay? This'll be great."

_______

"Well? What do you think?"

Barbara studied her reflection in the mirror. After crashing at about two in the morning, both Barbara and Wade had slept in and made a lazy day of it. She was honestly surprised he'd stuck around, but he was insistent upon curling her hair – and making sure that she didn't get rid of the eighteen bats that were _still_ in her back yard.

But she had to admit, she looked great.

The dress was a dark blue number with a sweetheart neckline, cap sleeves, and a short, flowing skirt that ran parallel with the ground when she spun, necessitating a pair of spandex shorts underneath. Wade had somehow managed to curl her hair in 40s style curls and pinned it back in a way that both framed her face and maintained the volume of the curls. She was wearing pearl earrings – ones that carried A.L.F.R.E.D., and man, it had been rough constructing those – and her shoes also felt straight out of the era, blue kitten heels with a strap going across her foot.

She shook her head in awe. "It's perfect."

Clapping his hands together, Wade jumped up and down. "I knew it! Now, hurry up, you don't want to be late!"

Grabbing her clutch, Barbara slipped into her kitten heels and made her way out the front door, listening to Wade babble the entire time.

" - and if you feel pressured to do anything you don't want to do, cutting off his dick is totally on the table, but just have fun, and don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

Barbara laughed, turning to face Wade. "I won't, I promise." She smiled at him gratefully. "Thanks for all your help."

He waved it away. "Nonsense, what are friends for?"

Grinning, Barbara kissed him on the cheek. "See you in a bit."

With that, she turned and walked out the door, ignoring Wade's loud sobs of "my baby's all grown up!"

As she stepped into the breezy June night, Barbara threw her shoulders back and breathed deeply. "This isn't a mistake, right?"

Her phone beeped, and she looked down to see a message from Charles. _Pursuing love never is_.

With a smile, Barbara hummed to herself and began the walk to Mancini's, and to her date with Captain America.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm finally back! And with three new chapters for you tonight as well! Life has been crazy (my eternal excuse) but I've gotten these big chapters out of the way, and now it's gonna start ramping up. I'm super excited to hear your feedback :)


	15. Moonlight Serenade

Steve pulled into a parking spot on the far side of the building. After setting down the kickstand, he peered at his watch. 6:57. Perfect, he was on time.

Grabbing the bouquet from the bag on the side of his seat, he got up off of his bike and followed the sound of jazz music around the corner of the large brick building, towards the bright lights of the "Mancini's" marquee.

And standing right there, right under the marquee lights, was Barbara.

Steve froze up, in spite of himself.

She was looking out towards the street with a small smile on her face. Her dress – it looked like something Peggy or one of the USO girls would have worn on their nights off. It was a gorgeous blue that fluttered around her legs as she turned.  She looked exactly like the sort of girl Steve had seen in those picture shows from back then, the sort of girl that he'd never have had a shot with.

But then she turned and saw him, and her eyes – God, her eyes – were shining, and they were shining at him, and Steve felt very clearly that he was the luckiest man out on a date that night.

Clearing his throat, Steve squared his shoulders and walked towards her. Grinning, Barbara matched him step for step, until they were only a heartbeat away from each other.

"Hey."

"Hey," he replied, his voice a whisper.

Barbara glanced up and down, taking in his outfit. "You look great!"

 For some reason, Howard had boxed away all of his stuff, so when he'd told Pepper that they were going to swing night, she'd pulled some strings and found all his old army gear. He was probably one of the few people at Mancini's that evening that was wearing truly vintage clothing.

His heart panged at the thought, but he pushed it aside.

"You're beautiful."

Barbara breathed in and smiled widely at him. "Thank you."

Feeling his face flush, Steve remembered the bouquet in his hands. "These are for you."

Barbara took them from his outstretched hands, gasping. "Steve, they're gorgeous."

_"Are you sure this isn't too much?" He'd asked Natasha over the phone._

_"Positive. She'll love them._ "

"I love white roses! How did you know?"

"Lucky guess," he replied, unable to meet her shining eyes in that moment.

"Well, thank you, they're perfect," she beamed back. Grabbing hold of his arm – Steve forgot to breathe for a moment – Barbara wrapped hers around his, and the couple made their way into the restaurant.

After that, it was a blur of waiters seating them, bringing them menus, and ordering their food. In fact, it was only after they'd placed their orders that they had a moment to themselves to talk. So, naturally, in that moment, Steve forgot everything that he wanted to say.

Thankfully, Barbara started talking almost immediately.

"So, have you ever been swing dancing before?"

"No. I'm not sure I can dance."

"Good, we'll figure it out together then. It's been awhile for me too."

They fell into silence for a moment. Steve began to feel himself sweat around his collar.

"What about you?"

Barbara's brow furrowed.

"I mean, tell me about yourself."

_Wow, good work Rogers_ , he heard his internal Bucky scold him. _Very smooth_.

"Yeah, I guess we haven't talked much about that," Barbara replied, ignoring the way his face was heating up. "Well, I was born and raised in Boston. I lived there most of my life – thank you," she said, accepting a glass of rosé from the waiter. "My mom passed away when I was very young, so it was just my dad and me. Well, my dad and I and my uncle and his kids."

"I'm sorry to hear that," he blurted out, forgetting that almost a moment ago he was practically too nervous to speak. "About your mom, I mean."

"Thanks," she replied with a soft smile. "I was really young, so I hardly knew her, but I appreciate it."

_Okay, better._

"Anyways, I was basically raised by my dad and his brother. My dad was the Chief of Police in our borough for a long time, so most days I just hung out with my cousins and my uncle. My uncle headed a tech company for a while, and that's kind of what got me interested in computer science. I went to MIT after I graduated high school, and I've been doing computer programming ever since."

"So why did you start working at Stark Coffee?"

Her smile became a bit sadder. "My dad passed away not too long ago."

_Nice going, Rogers._ Steve swallowed. "Barbara, I'm so, so sorry."

She nodded. Her smile was still sad, but at least she was smiling. "Thanks. He'd been working really hard on a gang case, and he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I'm a lot better now, but it was hard for a while.

"That was actually why I moved out here. It was too hard, staying in Boston with all the memories, so I took my inheritance and bought a condo in New York. I'm still doing programming and app development, but my uncle suggested I find something to kind of meet people. It was total happenstance that I was at Stark Coffee when it all went down with those college guys. It's been great, though. I really like everyone that I've met there."

"Yeah, I saw the video. How'd you learn to do that?"

At that she smirked. "My uncle had three sons. I learned how to hold my own pretty quickly."

"Yeah," Steve chuckled, nodding his head, "I believe that."

"What about you?" Barbara asked, taking a sip of her drink. "What's your story?"

_This is easy. You've got this_. "Well, I was actually born in Brooklyn."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Spent my whole life here. My dad wasn't in the picture much when I was a kid, just my mom and me. She died from cancer when I was in high school."

Now it was Barbara's turn to look despondent. "I'm so sorry."

Steve nodded. "It's okay. It's been a long time. But after she passed on, I was sort of lost. The only thing I wanted to do was serve. So, I joined the army, and I was overseas for a few years."

"What were you doing overseas?"

"Classified," he replied with a smirk.

"Oh," she grinned, sitting up straighter. "I see how it is. Okay, you can keep your secrets, Steve. I'll figure it out eventually," she finished, wiggling her eyebrows.

Steve laughed. "Good luck with that one, Ms. Allen.

"Anyways, once I was done with my tour, I didn't really know what to do. That's when Stark found me, and I've been working with – sorry, for him, ever since."

"Huh," Barbara leaned back in her chair. "What's that like, working for Mr. Stark?"

Steve thought back to their last team bonding night, where Tony and Clint ended up wrestling on the floor because Tony "bought the bank" in Monopoly and was demanding high lease payments. "Well, I can't say that I'm ever bored."

Laughing, Barbara nodded. "Yeah, that I believe. Has he built anything really crazy recently?"

"I don't know much about that side of things, unfortunately. But he did give his toaster artificial intelligence."

Barbara's jaw dropped. "What?"

Nodding, Steve took a quick swig of his water. "Yeah," he said, gasping and laughing as he set the glass back down on the table. "It refuses to toast bagels."

Barbara burst out laughing. "Okay, now you have to tell me everything."

___

"I can't believe this."

"Can't believe what?" Clint asked in a low voice. He and Natasha were currently situated at the bar, sipping cocktails and arm-wrestling over who would be the first to try the fried calamari. Darcy, Jane, Thor and Bruce were parked across the street in the recently dubbed "Iron Van", listening into Steve and Barbara's conversation via a bug in the plant, and watching the pair through Mancini's internal video-recording services. JARVIS almost acted insulted when Darcy had asked if he could hack the video feed. Now _that_ had been a fun conversation to listen to.

"They're talking about Tony!" Darcy's voice came out in a pained shriek. Clint wince, rubbing his ear. Natasha smacked his hand down, preventing him from removing the receiver in his ear canal. "Come on Steve, really?"

Natasha lifted her cocktail to her lips, murmuring before taking a sip. "He's just nervous."

"Besides, there's way worse things he could be talking about."

Clint and Natasha suddenly heard the sound of shrieks and protests of "Jane! I wasn't going to do anything!" come through their receivers.

" - don't care what you have to do, Thor, sit on her before she leaves the van!" Jane's voice came through, exasperated. "Sorry about that. Darcy was about to charge in there."

"Bruce, what are you doing in there? Can't you keep her distracted or something?" Clint asked, teasingly.

Bruce's voice snorted into their ears. "I don't think I'm quite ready for that step in our relationship."

Clint burst out laughing, causing Natasha to kick him in the shin to silence him. "Really?" He asked, rubbing his tender leg.

Natasha rolled her eyes before taking another drink. "Boys."

The line was silent for a moment before Jane spoke up again. "Okay, call me crazy, but I think talking about Tony is working. Look at Steve!"

Clearing his throat, Clint turned around in his chair and peered across the room at Steve, who was laughing with Barbara. His previously tense form was relaxing into the chair, and they both seemed completely engaged with each other. Any anxiety Steve had been feeling seemed to have vanished.

"Hmmm," Natasha said, turning back to the bar. "Good."

"I think we can all agree on one thing, though," Clint cut in.

"What's that?"

"The less Tony knows about Steve using him as an icebreaker, the better."

"Agreed," Jane replied, a smile in her voice.

___

It got a lot easier after that. Having spent so much time with Tony over the last few years, Steve had plenty of stories in his belt that weren't directly related to the Avengers, and tales of Tony's antics kept them both laughing through the pre-dinner salad and into the start of their pasta dinner. Once they got into the main course, the conversation just flowed naturally from that point, and they spent the rest of the meal talking about all the things they hadn't done or seen and wanted to do or see. Steve, for one, was grateful that Barbara was almost as clueless as he was when it came to pop culture – "I was way too interested in learning about technology to do much else when I was younger," she'd said between bites. He'd gotten some of that information during his early morning coffee runs, but nothing quite as extensive as pulling out his record book from Sam and walking through it with her. In any case, now Steve had a world of possibilities for planning their second date – not that he'd asked yet, but he was planning on it, and by the way she was smiling at him, he had a good feeling that she would say yes.

The waiter was just clearing away their plates when the jazz band, who had been taking their own dinner at the same time as Barbara and Steve, started playing again.

They turned at the same time to watch the multitude of couples travel onto the dancefloor. It was a wide variety of ages; some of the couples were made up of seniors, clearly reveling in the olden days as they spun delicately around the floor. There was also a large group of college kids, who broke up into pairs and began dancing around the floor at a much faster pace. Thankfully, it seemed like people of all skill levels were dancing their hearts away, and Steve's stomach unclenched itself slightly at the idea of dancing.

"Excuse me," Steve said, pulling the waiter aside. "Can we get the struffoli for dessert?"

"Of course," their waiter – Manny – replied with a grin. "Are you planning on dancing?"

"I believe so," he replied, turning back to look at a captivated Barbara.

"Excellent! I'll let you know once your dessert is ready." With a quick nod, the waiter bustled away.

Steve nodded in reply to the waiter, but then continued to nod, this time for himself. _Okay Rogers. Now's the time. You can do this._

Barbara was watching the dancers on the floor with rapt interest when she heard Steve clear his throat. Turning in her chair, she found herself face to face with Steve, his hand outstretched towards her.

"Ms. Allen, may I have this dance?"

She beamed in reply. "It would be my pleasure, Mr. Rogers."

He grinned back at her, and the two of them stood up from the table and made their way to the dance floor.

However, as soon as their feet touched the wood, the song sprang into something much to fast for Steve's taste. "Do you know how to do this?" Steve asked, yelling over the sound of the squealing trumpets.

"I've done it a few times," she hollered back. "It's not too hard once you get the rhythm down."

"Yeah, that's what I'm worried about."

Barbara turned to grin at him and was about to reply when one of the college age couples came to a stop next to them. "Are you two new?" The redheaded guy asked, swinging his partner to a stop.

"Yeah, we've never been!" Barbara hollered back.

"Care for some lessons?"

Barbara turned to look at Steve, who nodded gratefully at the kid. "I can use all the help I can get."

"Great!" The young man beamed back. "I'm Zach, and this is Libby."

"Nice to meet you!" The young woman giggled, curtsying in reply. Her short black hair almost appeared to be hopping on her shoulders, the curls were wound so tight. She walked straight over to Steve, grabbed hold of his hands, and pulled him into the crowd before he could protest.

Zach and Barbara laughed as they watched Libby direct Steve around. "She'll loosen him up, that's for sure," Barbara joked.

"And your name, miss?"

"Barbara," she replied with a smile, hand-outstretched.

Zach grinned at her in reply. "Lovely to meet you, Barbara. Now, show me what you can do."

_______

"How are they doing?"

"Pretty well, all things considered."

"Well, how are you doing?"

Natasha groaned. "Not quite as well."

"Look, swing dancing wasn't part of my basic training. If this is anybody's fault, it's Fury's," Clint replied haughtily. After insisting on taking Natasha for a turnabout the dance floor, Clint had taken three steps before he'd thrown his back out attempting to do the splits.

"The splits, Clint? Really?" Bruce's dry voice asked through their earpieces.

"Shut your dirty mouth, Kermit."

________

After a few rounds on the dancefloor, Steve had finally found his way back to Barbara, who had taken to swing dancing like a duck to water. Libby had been very helpful and patient as Steve tried to master the basic moves of the dance, and by the time he made it back to Barbara he could do the basic steps with ease.

"Besides," Libby had said as she spun into Zach's arms once again, "all you really need to do is direct the girl around the floor. She'll do the rest."

Steve nodded. "I'll do my best."

Grinning, Barbara waved in thanks at Zach and Libby, who disappeared back into the center of the dance floor, before grabbing hold of Steve's hands. Slowly, the two of them made their way around the room in a slow circle, and by the start of their second song together, they had a good rhythm going, even though Steve still had to say "step step back-step" under his breath.

"You're doing great!" Barbara hollered as the opening strains of "Chattanooga Choo Choo" pealed through the air.

"I'm pretty sure out of the two of us, you're the great one," Steve replied, the underlying compliment not hitting his consciousness until the words came out of his mouth. As soon as he realized what'd he said, he blushed brightly. Barbara just smiled at him and pulled him around the room, breaking up their steps with a spin every so-often.

It was at some point after that song that Steve started to forget how nervous he'd been about the dancing, and instead found himself just enjoying the moment. There were no wars, no soldiers to fight, no battles to win, just him and Barbara, dancing together.

About forty minutes after the "Chattanooga Choo Choo", the band announced one final song before their next break. As the band played the opening notes of "Moonlight Serenade", Steve pulled Barbara close to him, wrapped one arm around her waist, grabbed hold of her hand with his other hand, and began to hum the melody.

Barbara settled into his embrace almost instantly, letting her left hand rest on his right shoulder. "I love this song," she sighed.

Steve nodded, the bottom of his chin whispering against the curls on top of her head. "It was always one of my favorites," he murmured, his eyes somewhere else. After a few moments he came to and looked down, finding Barbara's eyes locked on him. He almost forgot how to breathe.

"I'm glad you're my dance partner this evening," she replied. Turning her head slightly, she laid her head against his chest, and Steve felt his entire body go warm.

"Well, I'm not much of a dancer, but you make it easy," he replied. Steve could feel her smile against his chest and he grinned in spite of himself, content to just be in the moment with her.

That is, he would have been content to be in the moment with Barbara, had he not noticed Clint and Natasha sitting at the bar. In fact, he probably wouldn't even have noticed them sitting there, if Clint hadn't been in the middle of taking a picture of the two of them with the flash on.

Steve quickly turned his body so Barbara's sightline would be blocked, should she look towards the bar.

Natasha wrenched the camera out of Clint's hands and slapped him upside the head.

Steve narrowed his eyes at the pair. _We'll talk about this later_ , he mouthed.

Natasha nodded solemnly; Clint, on the other hand, just beamed at him, shooting him two thumbs up. With a shake of her head, Natasha grabbed hold of Clint's arm, dropped some money on the counter, and the two made their way out of Mancini's.

The song ended as the exited and Barbara pulled away from Steve, turning to applaud the band on stage. Steve felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Sir, your dessert is ready."

With a quick nod to the waiter, Steve offered his arm to Barbara, and they made their way back to the table.

_______

They were just finishing up their dessert when Steve felt his phone vibrate.

"Sorry, one second." He pulled out his phone and sighed.

_Level 4 incident in Prague. Forty minutes until takeoff. - Natasha_

"Everything okay?"

Steve shook his head, putting his phone back in his pocket. "Work. I have to go in."

"Oh!" Barbara sat up straight.

"I'm so sorry about this - "

She smiled at him as she fished out her wallet. "Don't worry about it," she replied. "I totally get working weird hours. Manny?"

Manny came around and took her credit card before Steve even realized what was going on.

He frowned. "You didn't need to - "

"I know, but I invited you out, so it’s my treat," she waved his anxiety away. Manny walked back with a receipt and a to-go bag for the rest of the struffoli.

Steve breathed deeply. _The choice is up to you, Rogers,_ his inner Bucky spoke. _Don't be an idiot about this, okay?_

"I'll pay for it next time that."

At that Barbara froze, her eyes slowly raising to look at him.

"That is," he began to stammer, "if you – well, I – if we – I'd like to do this. Again. Not necessarily this, I mean, this was great, but a date. Of some sort. If you'd like."

Barbara nodded slowly, her face breaking into a wide smile. "I'd like that."

________

With a bouquet of flowers and leftover Italian dessert in tow, Barbara hopped off the back of Steve's bike. "Thanks for the ride home!"

"It was the least I could do," he replied, setting his feet firmly down on the ground.

Turning to face him, she grinned.

Steve's heart began to beat fast. _Oh shit. Do I kiss her? Do I let her kiss me? Should I initiate things? Is it better if I let her? Do people kiss on a first date anymore? What -_

Barbara leaned in and kissed him on the cheek before he could overthink things further. Steve breathed an internal sigh of relief, grateful the decision was taken from him.

"Be safe, all right?" She asked, leaning back to look at him.

He nodded, his heart beating fast, the skin where she'd kissed him on fire. "Absolutely."

Smiling, Barbara stepped onto the sidewalk and shot him a quick salute. "Catch you on the flip side, Rogers."

Steve grinned, nodding in reply. "Have a pleasant evening, Ma'am."

And with that, he shifted the bike into gear and sped off down the street, a song in his heart and a girl on his mind.

________

"So, how'd it go?" Tony's voice rang out as soon as Steve stepped aboard the Quinjet.

"I am sorry that your pleasant evening had to be so rudely interrupted, Captain," Thor nodded solemnly from his normal seat aboard.

"What was your excuse?" Natasha asked, strapping the Widow's Bite to her wrist.

"Work," Steve replied, sitting next to Thor and buckling himself in. "She understood."

Tony was about to question him again when Thor cut him off. "The Lady Barbara appears to be a fine specimen of humanity, Captain Rogers. I wish you all the happiness the universe has to offer."

"Thank you, Thor."

"Yeah, what he said!" He heard Clint yell from the front.

At that Steve narrowed his eyes. "We'll be talking about this evening later, Barton."

"For the record," Tony sang, spinning around in his chair from the front to look at Steve, "I will have you know that I was the only person not present for your date, and therefore, I should not be punished with your Frown of Disappointment."

Steve looked over at Bruce, who was sitting across from Thor.

Bruce shook his head. "Tony planned it."

"Bruce, you ungrateful slut! After everything we've been through?"

Natasha just shook her head as Tony, Bruce, Clint and Thor began to argue. "Did you have a nice time, Steve?"

He nodded, a small smile on his face visible under his mask. "It was perfect."

She smiled in reply. "Good."

With a sigh, Steve leaned back against his seat in the Quinjet and shut his eyes, and the entire way to Prague was spent in daydreams of dancing with Barbara Allen in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how'd I do with the big date? Honestly, trying to put this together has been AGONIZING, because I really wanted to get it right for them, you know? What do you wanna see for future dates?
> 
> Also, ANGST WARNING FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER. You've been warned :)


	16. Only the Good Die Young

Barbara shut the door to her townhouse with a happy sigh. After the locking the front door, she turned and found a note taped to the stairs.

_Barbie – Out to get bat food from Rosco's, will be back in a jiffy! - DP_

Rolling her eyes, Barbara stepped out of her kitten heels and made her way into the kitchen, intending to put the leftover dessert in the fridge and her roses in a vase (well, actually a wine bottle, but whatever works!)

"A.L.F.R.E.D., lights - "

"You're finally home."

With a shriek, Barbara turned to face her kitchen table and found Constantine sitting there, the small pile of ashes on the table indicating just how long he had been in her kitchen.

Sighing, she shut her eyes and held her hand to her heart. "A.L.F.R.E.D., we need to upgrade our security system."

"I have it on the agenda for first thing in the morning, Ms. Gordon."

"Excellent. Not to be rude, but what are you doing here?" She asked, opening her eyes to stare at Constantine.

He exhaled a large ring of smoke. "Just checking up on you."

"Really."

"Yes."

She quirked her eyebrow at him.

"And no."

Barbara shook her head and proceeded to put away her leftovers and draw water for her roses. "Has something happened?"

"Yes and no."

"Could you be any vaguer? And if you're going to say "yes and no" one more time, I swear, I will not share my struffoli with you."

Constantine chuckled dryly. "Touche.

"Unfortunately, I'm not here for a social visit. I've already stayed longer than I can afford to. I just wanted to give you this."

Turning around, Barbara found herself face to face with Constantine, who was holding a large shopping bag in his hands.

"There was a memorial service today, in Gotham," he began quietly.

Barbara's breath caught in her throat.

"I downloaded all the coverage I could find, and I grabbed whatever I could. I don't know if it will help – in fact, it might even make things worse – but if I was you I would want to know." He handed her the bag. "Whatever you do with it is up to you. I just wanted to give you the choice."

As he turned to walk away, Barbara felt tears gather in her eyes. "Wait."

He turned around and found himself with arms full of Barbara. "Thanks," she whispered, hugging him tightly.

John hugged her briefly before extricating himself from her embrace. "Next time I'll give you more of a head's up, maybe stay for a drink, yeah?"

She just nodded in reply, forcing a fake smile on her face. "Yeah."

"Okay. Catch you later kid."

Barbara shut her eyes. She didn't need to hear the sound of the portal that when she opened them again, he would be gone.

_______

" - Babsie! You wouldn't believe how many stops I had to make. Apparently, it's not common for bug-sellers to be open at this time of night." Wade stopped as he entered the kitchen. All of the lights were on, so he'd just assumed she was there.

"Barbara? Babs?"

No reply.

"Hey, British guy in the sky, is Barbie around?"

"She is in the basement, Mr. Wilson," A.L.F.R.E.D. intoned. "If I may be so bold, I believe she could use a friend at this juncture."

Frowning under the suit, Wade set the container full of insects down on the kitchen counter and made his way into the basement.

"Babsie? Yoo hoo, anyone home?"

Sliding down the stairs, Wade found himself in a darkened basement room. Several screens on the far wall were muted but turned on, and it appeared that Barbara was huddled under a mass of blankets, the table in front of her covered with knick-knacks.

"Barbara?" He asked quietly. "Is everything okay?"

A small sob escaped her huddled form. "No," she whimpered.

"Was it Steve? Do I know to cut off Captain America's amber waves of grain because I totally will - "

"No, it wasn't – the date was great."

Wade made his way over to the couch Barbara was sitting on and sat next to her. Drawing near, he noted that it appeared she was still in her dress, her hair still pinned back. The only indicator she was upset were the tear tracks running down her face. Otherwise, she looked perfectly put together.

"Constantine – a guy from my world was here when I got home. He – today was my memorial service in Gotham. He brought me a flash drive of the news coverage." Barbara wiped at her eyes, mascara running onto her fingers. "And all this stuff."

Wade looked down at the table solemnly. It was covered with a random assortment of items – a black bomber jacket with "Batgirl" emblazoned on the back, above a large yellow bat signal, with the words "Guardian Angel of Gotham" embroidered in cursive underneath; a small booklet dedicated to Barbara's legacy as an engineer and ally to the disabled; a program of events from the memorial service; a small figurine of Barbara in the Batgirl costume, claiming to be a perfect replica of the now life-sized statue in the middle of Gotham; and what looked like an old teddy bear.

"This was mine, when I was little," Barbara said, picking up the teddy bear. "He must have – my dad - "

She burst into tears.

Wade grabbed hold of her, pulled her towards him, and began to rub her back. "Want me to get rid of this stuff?"

Barbara shook her head violently. "No, no, just – stay with me? I don't want to watch this alone."

Wade nodded. Grabbing hold of the blanket surrounding Barbara, he readjusted it so it was wrapped around her tighter, and settled in.

"A.L.F.R.E.D. - "

"Initiating playback."

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

The lights of the camera momentarily blinded her, a stark contrast to the overcast skies in Gotham.

"Ms. Lane; three, two, - " the cameraman motioned "one" at her.

She took a deep breath.

"Good evening. I'm Lois Lane."

The tears in her eyes threatened to blur her focus. She swallowed them down as best as she could before speaking again.

"I am reporting to you live from Gotham City. Today, the citizens of Gotham gather together to mourn the loss of one of their most influential citizens. To all here in Gotham, she was known as Batgirl; to a select few, she was known as Barbara Gordon, daughter of Police Commissioner James Gordon. Over the last few weeks more and more details about Barbara Gordon's life have been revealed to the public, of the good that she did, and the sacrifices that she made. In fact, it was her final sacrifice that prevented the murder of thousands in this city. Today, Gotham, and the world, mourns her loss.

"In just a few moments the memorial ceremony for Barbara Gordon will begin. During that time, all of our attention will be focused on the speakers. Our commentary will resume after the ceremony has ended."

"Thank you, Lois. And now, the memorial ceremony begins," she heard Mike say through her earpiece.

Her cameraman signaled that her camera was off.

"Will you be all right, Ms. Lane?"

She shook her head, turning to face the stage constructed in downtown Gotham. She, and her crew, were sitting in a constructed pavilion high above most of the mourners, providing them with a better view of the proceedings that were to occur on the stage. "I don't know, Kevin. I don't know."

The group of speakers began to process on to the stage. Lois heard Kevin readjust his camera to get any POV shots the station might require and ignored him.

Silence descended upon the mourners as the stage slowly filled. Lois was able to pick out Jim and Barry, along with Bruce, Diana, Dinah, and J'onn. She heard a sharp crack behind her, signaling that Clark and Kara had arrived. Several other members of the league were already there, some in uniform, some not. For once, their presence didn't draw any attention.

Mayor Harvey Dent stepped up to the microphone. "Good afternoon."

A handful of people in the crowd murmured back in reply.

"I would like to take a minute to thank all of those who have gathered here today; those who are joining us around the world via this broadcast; and those who cannot be present for this event today, but who are with us in spirit.

"As many of you know, Gotham has a checkered history. While our city has experienced some of the highest highs in this country, it has also experienced some of the lowest lows. Today, as we mourn the loss of Barbara Gordon, we are reminded that this moment is one that will go down in our history as the lowest of our lows.

"Before we begin to celebrate her life, I would like to invite the Gotham City Police Department to process in at this time, and for Dinah Lance, friend of Barbara Gordon, and the Martian Manhunter, founding member of the Justice League, to come forward for their performance of 'The Prayer'."

Harvey stepped back from the microphone. Dinah, dressed in a floor-length black dress, and J'onn, dressed in his traditional uniform, stepped forward. J'onn nodded at the string orchestra seated to the side of the stage. The song began, and the Gotham City Police Department fell in line.

Dinah opened her mouth and began to sing. "I pray you'll be our eyes, and watch us where we go - "

It was gorgeous, as her singing always was, but the beauty of the song couldn't hide the sound of tears in Dinah's voice.

Lois then turned and watched intently as the processional began towards the stage. Ranks of officers, uniforms denoting their specific branches, made their way towards the stage, preceding the six detectives assigned to Jim's unit, who were carrying an open, black casket.

"I pray we'll find your light - "

J'onn's deep baritone began to mix with Dinah's -

"and hold it in our hearts - "

The orchestra began to crescendo as the casket slowly grew closer and closer to the stage -

"when stars go out each night - "

The GCPD split, peeling off and standing at attention in front of the stage -

"Let this be our prayer, as we go our way - "

The casket reached the stage.

The orchestra stopped playing.

Silence fell.

And then, Dinah took a breath.

"Lead us to a place, guide us with your grace -

She breathed again, J'onn's voice falling into silence.

"To a place where we'll be safe."

The song ended, and the cameras displaying the scene on the large screen behind the stage showed Dinah's teary face as she gazed at the empty casket.

The crowd broke out into applause. Mayor Dent stepped forward, thanked Dinah and J'onn, and the two made their way off the stage and into the crowd.

"At this time," Harvey began again, "I would like to invite Diana Prince to the stage."

Diana walked forward, graciously accepting a kiss on the cheek from Harvey, before settling in to speak.

"It is with a heavy heart that I am here with you this afternoon," she began, her voice soft.

"I count myself blessed to be one of the few who knew Barbara Gordon during her life. The work she did for the benefit of the disabled, the poor, the oppressed, and for those that did not have a voice, is an enduring testament to who she was. Both her financial gifts, as well as the educational and support-based tools she developed for those suffering from emotional abuse and depression, were integral in the United Nation's recent steps towards global equality.

"She was not just an engineer, or a girl in a mask. She was someone who deeply cared about people and the world around her. Her light will be greatly missed.

"I would like to leave you with the following. This is a quote from Rabindranath Tagore. Say not in grief that she is no more but say in thankfulness that she was. A death is not the extinguishing of a light, but the putting out of the lamp because the dawn has come. Thank you."

Diana stepped away from the mic to a smattering of applause.

Bruce stepped up next, and the crowd fell into silence. His face was tight, creases revealing an age that didn't feel like it fit on his face. Youthfulness was replaced by despair. _This_ was Bruce Wayne's true face.

"Today is a day that I wish I wasn't living to see." Clearing his throat, Bruce rubbed at his eyes before continuing.

"Barbara Gordon was not just an employee at Wayne Industries, or a colleague in global equality initiatives. I am grateful to say that Barbara Gordon was more than that to me. She was family."

Bruce broke off again, this time clearing his throat before continuing.

"The stories that have come out in the past few days, about her life and the lives that she touched, are the greatest testimony to her that anyone could ever give. Not only was she a brilliant scientist and a generous donor to several charitable causes, she was Batgirl. A masked hero working to keep the city that she loved safe, and to keep its people safe. Never one to use lethal force, as we now know, she extended mercy first, rather than physical retribution, when it came to apprehending dangerous criminals. And during the time in which she was unable to use her legs, she used her mind instead, creating revolutionary technology for both the private and the public sector, while teaching her philosophy of heroism to those who would take up the mantle of Batgirl after her."

He fell silent for a moment.

"I will miss her," he finally spoke. "And I hope to live the sort of life that allows me to see her again someday. Because she would be here with us now, if heaven wasn't so far away."

Bruce stepped back, swallowing, and returned to his place, the crowd still silent.

Jim stood up and made his way to the podium, escorted by Barry. Lois could see that he was blinking back tears, and he grasped hold of the cards in his hand like they were his lifeline.

"I want to start by saying thank you, to all of you, for coming here today. The outpouring of love and support from you has sustained me and those closest to Barbara these last few weeks."

"I – I – I don't have words," he spoke finally, voice scratchy with emotion. "She was – Barbara was the best of my life, the best part of me. I – I don’t know how to go on, without her."

At this Jim began to sob. Frowning, Barry put an arm around him and began to rub Jim's back.

"She – she might have been a genius and a philanthropist and a hero and what-all to everyone, but she'll always be my little girl, first and foremost. And I know, she's in a better place, keeping an eye on all of us down here, but it doesn't change the fact that – that – the best part of my world is gone."

Lois felt the tears stream down her own face before she realized she was crying. Even Kevin, her unemotional cameraman, was blinking away, wiping at this face to stop his own tears from falling.

"I – I don't think there is anything else I can say, other than I love you, sweetheart. Daddy loves you, and he always will."

Jim stepped away from the microphone, his face crumpling. Diana walked over to his side and pulled him into an embrace, escorting him back towards the rest of the speakers on the stage.

Harvey, whose face was also bent with emotion, walked up to the mic and cleared his throat. "Before my final words, friends of Barbara Gordon, with the permission of Jim Gordon, have put together a brief presentation celebrating her life."

Lois watched as the screen behind Harvey came to live, the opening chords of "My Little Girl" pouring out of the sound system. If someone wasn't crying before, they were crying now.

Picture after picture of a smiling Barbara Gordon decorated the screen, from pictures of her as a young child crawling around on all fours, to an athletic preteen, to a few shots of her as Batgirl out in Gotham, to her time in her wheelchair, and of her celebratory ceremony with Palmer Tech once she'd regained her legs. Lois could hear the crowd murmuring and crying. They might not have known her personally, but the footage of her final confrontation with the Joker had been burned into the minds of Gotham's citizens. Even two of Gotham's most notorious villains – Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy, Lois had reported earlier, left their own words of sadness at her loss.

The slideshow ended, and Harvey took the mic for a final time.

"As the Mayor of Gotham City, I would like to aware a Medal of Commendation to the family of Barbara Gordon for her contributions to the community, and for her work in making Gotham a safer place.

"Additionally, at this time, Mr. Bruce Wayne, in partnership with Palmer Technology, Queen Consolidated, and LutherCorp, has created a scholarship fund called the "Barbara Gordon Scholarship", which will be awarded annually to young people around the globe who are interested in pursuing fields either related to engineering and advances in technology, as well as medicine, and public service.

"Also, as many of you may have noticed, the Gotham City Police Department has created 'Guardian Angel of Gotham City' merchandise, in celebration of her life and her legacy. All proceeds will be split between the Barbara Gordon Scholarship and Gotham Cares, our largest in-state charity, aimed at improving the lives of Gotham citizens everywhere.

"Finally, in memory of the sacrifice that she made for Gotham City, it is my honor to unveil our lasting tribute to her legacy." With a hand flourish, he pointed towards the park in the courtyard of City Hall, where a large statue was uncovered. It was Barbara, dressed as Batgirl, standing with her hands on her hips, her eyes on the skies, and a smile on her face.

"May this tribute to her memory not only be a constant reminder of the sacrifices she made, but as a reminder to ourselves to follow in her footsteps and be the best versions of ourselves that we can be.

"Thank you for joining us this afternoon. May God bless America and may the spirit and hope of Barbara Gordon live on in our hearts."

At the sound of trumpets, the flags dropped to half-mast, and the processional started up again, making its way towards Gotham Cemetery. Mayor Dent let Jim, Barry and Diana take the lead, falling into step behind him. As Bruce descended from the platform, he was joined by Alfred, Dick, Tim, Selina, Kori, and even three-year-old Damian, who was dressed in his Sunday best. Dinah and J’onn followed after, joined by Clark and Kara, who, at the start of the processional, dropped to the ground and waited to join the walking crowd. Various other Justice Leaguers, Gotham residents, and friends and colleagues from Wayne Industry fell in line after them. Even from her perch, Lois could see the different shades of grief on all of their faces.

"Lois," she felt Kevin nudge her violently, "you're on in ten."

Nodding, she wiped away the last of her tears.

"And now we're back with Lois Lane. Lois? Can you tell us anything about the mood in Gotham right now?"

The lights flashed on, and Lois smiled sadly. "Hi Matt. It's a very somber mood here in Gotham. The memorial service for Barbara Gordon just ended moments ago, and the large crowd is falling in line as the processional begins to Gotham Cemetary, where Barbara Gordon will finally be put to rest."

“Are you surprised that there wasn’t a word from Batman?” His co-anchor asked.

“Yes, has there been public outcry that Batman himself hasn’t been more present?”

Lois shook her head. “My sources told me that Batman met with Commissioner Gordon a few nights ago to offer his condolences. Commissioner Gordon is planning on making a statement regarding the Batman in the future, but it is not expected that his partnership with Batman will end. If anything, my sources believe this will only strengthen their resolve to end crime in Gotham, once and for all.”

"But what about the citizens of Gotham? What do you think the people of Gotham are thinking, right now?"

Lois paused thoughtfully before answering. "Barbara was _the_ daughter of Gotham. From the residents of Gotham I've spoken to, many feel like they have lost one of their own. No one can say what the next few days or weeks will bring, either for Gotham or for our country, as we face the beginning of intensive superhero regulation legislation, but certainly in Gotham, Barbara Gordon will be truly and deeply missed."

"All right, thank you Lois."

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Wade turned to look at Barbara as the feed ended, watching as the tears streamed down her face.

"Barbara?"

She shook her head, weeping. "Dad - I – I – I'm so sorry - "

"Hey, no, shhhh," Wade hushed her, pulling her into his lap. "It's not your fault, okay, none of this is your fault."

Barbara continued to shake her head, crying even harder. "Dad – I - I want to go home." She pulled on Wade's arm vehemently. "I want to go home!"

"I know, Barbara. I know."

She stopped fighting and fell limp into his arms, sobs continuing to wrack her frame.

"A.L.F.R.E.D., some calming music, maybe?"

He dimmed the lights. Low music started to play, and Wade rocked Barbara back and forth in his lap, content to let her cry until she fell asleep.

"I'm so sorry, kiddo," he whispered, once her sobs had subsided and her breath had evened out.

"I'm so, so sorry."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, angst warning. I was thinking about potentially saving this chapter for a later post, but getting this information from Constantine is a big mover for what's going to be coming in the next few chapters, at least in terms of Barbara's cognitive processes and such. If you really want to cry, I recommend reading/contemplating this chapter by listening to "The Prayer" by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli. Further tear inducing songs: "My Little Girl" and "Keep Your Eyes On Me" by Tim McGraw. (Not that I'm a huge country person, but man, they hit me right in the feels).
> 
> ANYWAYS, this is the last of the chapters for this batch. I'm currently in the midst of an eternal struggle, as to how long I should let Barbara and Steve just date before the next conflict. I want to establish their relationship, and her relationship with the other Avengers, but I wanna keep things moving too. I'm open to all ideas/suggestions, and seriously, thank you all so much for your patience and support. Hopefully once midterms are over my schedule will be less busy, and I'm planning on hiatus-ing from grad school (indefinitely), so I should be able to start posting more for this (and the seven other stories that keep wrestling each other in my brain for my attention).
> 
> So much love to all of you, and I'm grateful for you all <3


	17. Chiquitita

Barbara woke up exhausted the next morning to another note, this one taped to her forehead. Wade had apparently been called out of town for a job but promised to be back as soon as he could manage it. She had intended on heading upstairs to shower and go back to bed, but then A.L.F.R.E.D. had alerted her to a developing situation in Prague. Apparently, the Avengers had arrived in the city and were busy fighting a company of HYDRA-commandeered doombots. Doctor Doom himself had contacted SHIELD about the missing bots; even he didn't want to be accused of supporting Nazis. In any case, the doombots had managed to hack into and manipulate several satellite feeds on the scene, and Barbara spent most of Saturday hacking back at them and freezing them out.

By five in the evening, most of the doombots had been destroyed, and the Avengers were starting the days-long clean-up process as several large buildings were destroyed as a result of the attack. Telling A.L.F.R.E.D. to keep an eye on things, Barbara finally went upstairs, stripped out of her swing dress, and took the hottest shower of her life. Once she'd gotten cleaned up, hair washed and everything, she made her way back down into the basement, wrapped herself in the Batgirl jacket, and slept.

She awoke on Sunday to text message from Charles. _Good morning Ms. Gordon. Wade asked that I check in with you and see how you are doing. I am truly sorry for the pain you are experiencing right now._

 **Thanks Charles.** She paused, biting her lip as she thought, eyes blinking away those early-morning cobwebs. **It's been a difficult twenty-four hours.**

_I can imagine. How are you feeling?_

**Hurt doesn't feel like the right word, but – it just feels painful. I know that everyone is safer with me here, but it doesn't make me miss them less.**

_Nor can you expect it to. Loss is part of every person's existence. This will all work out for the best, Ms. Gordon. I do not believe that you will be separated from those you left behind forever. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help, and you're always welcome to give me a call if you need someone to talk too._

**Thank you, Charles. I really appreciate it.**

_Anytime, my dear._

Barbara sighed, clicking her phone screen off.

"Is there anything I can do to assist you, Ms. Gordon?" She heard A.L.F.R.E.D. ask quietly.

Pulling the blankets tighter around her, she leaned back on the couch. "I should probably eat something sooner or later."

"I'm placing your order at the Wok as we speak."

Barbara smiled sadly to herself. "You're the best, A.L.F.R.E.D."

"I aim to please, Ms. Gordon."

_________

Stark Coffee was fairly busy on Monday. It was the perfect distraction, if Barbara was being honest with herself. Ever since Thor's enthusiastic endorsement of the specialty drinks, business had only increased, and now there was a steady flow of Stark Industries employees that travelled through during the entirety of Barbara's shift. Barbara had even considered working longer, just to have something to do, but the way Peter was watching her gave her the impression he wanted to ask about her somber mood, and Barbara wasn't in the mood to talk about it.

On Tuesday, there was a bit of a lull before lunch, and Peter finally did mention it. She told him the same story she told Steve, about how her dad had passed away not too long ago, this time mentioning that it had just been a hard weekend without him, and after that Peter gave her space, which in all honesty, Barbara was incredibly grateful for.

She was feeling significantly better by Wednesday. The pain at knowing just what her dad and Barry and Dinah and the rest of them were going through back in Gotham hadn't lessened much, but it no longer felt like a weight she couldn't carry. If there was one thing she knew about herself, it was that she was resilient in the face of horrible, awful things. _If Joker's bullet couldn't keep me down,_ she rationalized to herself, _this can't either._

The door above Stark coffee jingled, and Barbara turned to face it, putting on her brave face.

"Welcome to Stark Coffee - "

"Hiya Barbie!" Wade hollered loudly. He sauntered his way into the shop, tossing a pair of bloody katanas onto one of the empty tables.

She smiled genuinely at him. "Good to see you, Wilson!"

"Yeah, yeah, I bet you say that to all the guys," he joked back. Coming to a stop in front of the counter, he pulled out a stool and made a big show of sitting down. "Say, is Petey around?"

She nodded towards the back door. "Just taking out the recycling. Here for a clandestine visit?"

"Who, me? What kind of woman do you think I am?" He gasped, pulling away and fanning himself dramatically.

At Barbara's chuckle his mask lifted up into a smile. "No, no, as much as it will pain him for me to say it, I'm here for you. Well, actually, I'm here to give you this." Reaching into a small bag that had been tied to the utility bag around his waist, he handed it towards her.

Frowning, Barbara took it out of his hands, gazing at him warily. She began to play with the strings cinching the bag together, not noticing that Peter had returned from taking out the recycling and was standing frozen in the doorway to the kitchen.

"I was chasing some mutated anacondas out of Ireland when I ran into this guy who specializes in jewelry making."

Barbara opened up the bag to find a small, flat box. She opened it up, and upon viewing its contents, felt tears once again brim along the edge of her eyelids.

"I just figure, after everything, you know, I just wanted you to have it. Kind of as a reminder, I guess? I don't know, I mean, what I'm trying to say is, you might not be home, but you'll never stop being a hero. At least, not to me."

Any words she could have spoken in reply got caught in her throat. With a cry, she threw herself at Wade and wrapped him tightly in her arms.

"Thank you," she breathed. "Thank you so much."

Peter could tell Wade was blushing under his mask. "Hey, no worries, not a problem at all - "

Pulling back, Barbara grabbed hold of both of his hands and squeezed. "You're such a good friend. Thank you."

That rendered Wade speechless. All he could do was nod in reply.

She took the silver chain out of the box. It was a delicate chain, tiny links of silver braided together. In the center of the chain stood a small bat-shaped charm, that when laid flat against her chest, stood at attention, much like the way the bat-sign on her old costume was positioned.

"Do you mind giving me a hand?"

Wade made a wincing sound under his hood. "I would love to, but my thumbs are still growing back."

"Wait, what?" Barbara said, forgetting the necklace and grabbing hold of his hands. "What happened?"

"There was one rather large slithering reptile that didn't understand that 'no means no'. Don't worry about it," he said, swatting her hands away, "it should only be a few more hours before you're good as new."

Peter choked and Wade whirled around. "Petey! Hi honey bunches! Do you mind giving ol'Babs here a hand?"

Nodding, he stepped forward, still in a daze. "You two know each other?"

"Know each other? Know each other? Dude, where have you been? We're practically roommates!"

Peter frowned at Barbara, who was just smiling at Wade's declaration. "Really?"

She turned and nodded once at Peter. "Really."

Walking over, Peter took the necklace out of Barbara hands and clasped it around her neck. "How do you two know each other again?"

Barbara shrugged matter-of-factly. "He wanted to know what my intentions were with you."

Peter choked on a breath before glaring at Wade. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Look, average height pale and studly, someone has to fight for our love. Besides, now the B and I are best friends! Really, this is all thanks to you."

"You know, as long as you’re here, you should really try our newest drink," Barbara began, a smirk on her face.

Peter began to flush. He'd been throwing around more ideas for specialty hero drinks and had come up with one dedicated to Wade on a whim. "Really, it's not that big of a deal - "

Barbara, somehow, had already finished the drink, and was handing it to Wade. "What do you think?"

Leaning his head back, Wade took a giant gulp and moaned. "Now _this_ is a portable orgasm. What's this delectable delight called?"

Leaning back, Barbara smirked at Peter, who flushed even redder. "Go ahead, Peter. It was your idea."

Wade turned to look at him.

Sighing, he shoved his hands in his pocket. "It's called 'Merc With a Mouth'."

Wade froze. Like, he completely stopped moving. Peter could tell he was blinkingly rapidly behind his face mask, probably gaping at him.

Peter ran a hand through his hair nervously. "I mean - "

Whatever he was going to say next had been completely cut off by the feel of Wade's lips on his. In a matter of moments Wade had flown across the coffee counter, ripped off his mask, and was kissing the life out of Peter.

Whimpering, he wrapped his arms back around Wade, holding on for dear life as he kissed him back.

A sudden blaring sound filled Stark Coffee, and an automated British voice – and not Barbara's automated British voice – began to speak. "Mr. Wade Wilson, step away from the barista and you will not be harmed."

Wade pulled back from Peter and moaned. "Baby boy, we have _got_ to do that again sometime." Turning to face Barbara, he shot her a large grin and a wink before jumping back over the coffee counter. "I'll catch you later, Babs," he called, grabbing his bloody katanas off the table. Then, with a mighty leap, he leapt through the front window of the store.

Wincing at the sound, Barbara waved hesitantly. "Bye, Wade!"

Peter, she noticed, hadn't made a sound. She turned to look at him and found him staring at the broken window, a dazed expression on his face, his lips red and swollen. "Whoa."

She just laughed at him. "Figured it out, huh?"

At that Peter grinned and threw a dirty dishcloth at her. "Shut it, Allen."

Barbara's bright laugh danced through the air, but it was very quickly drained out by the sound of crumbling brick as the Hulk burst into the coffee shop.

________

The purr of the Quinjet engines began to fade as Steve made his way onto the landing platform. Tony landed next to him, and the Iron Man suit began deconstructing itself before his eyes. Pretty soon, it was just Tony in a pair of ripped jeans and a faded "Ramones" t-shirt walking next to him, drinking some sort of martini that had appeared out of nowhere. "So, lover boy, when are you gonna call up the ole' ball and chain?"

Steve rolled his eyes but motioned for Tony to walk through the door to the penthouse before him anyways. "Not until I get a solid ten hours of sleep. I can hardly talk to her when I'm running on all cylinders."

Snorting, Tony slapped Steve on the back. "Probably a good call. And hey, if you ever need pointers, I know a lot about women."

"And all of it is wrong," Pepper's smooth voice sailed through the room. Beaming, Tony swept her up into his arms and kissed her soundly on the cheek. She giggled in spite of herself before tapping Tony on the shoulder. "I appreciate the greeting, but you're wrinkling my dress, Mr. Stark."

Tony purred in reply, biting at her neck. "You say the sexiest things, Ms. Potts."

Steve heard a puking sound coming from behind him. "Natasha," Clint yelled, "Mom and Dad are making out again!"

Turning around, Steve was just in time to see Natasha swipe at the back of Clint's head. "Behave," she warned, before ruffling his hair for good measure.

Thor strode into the room behind them with a sleepy Dr. Banner in tow. "I believe this victory calls for a celebration," he boomed, coming to a stop near the elevator bank. "Would anyone else care to join me in libations at Stark Coffee?"

Steve felt his heart speed up. He was about to reply when a sudden siren pierced through the Tower.

"Sir, Wade Wilson has been located."

"Deadpool?" Tony asked, already summoning his suit. "Where?"

JARVIS seemed to pause. "At Stark Coffee, sir. Right across the street."

Tony froze before turning to look at a slightly green Bruce. "Shit."

Bruce's skin rippled, and with a loud roar the Hulk transformed in front of them, right in the middle of the Stark Tower kitchen. Steve felt the floor buckle beneath his feet, and looked over just in time to see Pepper teeter perilously towards the large dip in the center of the floor. Reaching out, he grasped hold of her arm and yanked her to him, pulling her out of the way of the Hulk.

"Thanks Cap," she breathed, adjusting her hold so her arms were locked tightly around his shoulders.

Natasha began to step hesitantly towards the Hulk. "Bruce, please calm down - "

"Come on, he still can't be mad at Wilson, can he?" Steve heard Clint's voice mutter from across the room.

The Hulk whirled around and launched himself out of the window towards Stark Coffee.

Clint sighed, narrowly avoiding another slap from Natasha. "I stand corrected."

"JARVIS, what's the situation across the street?" Steve yelled out.

The AI paused again. "The foundation of the structure was compromised the moment the Hulk touched down. Current structural integrity of the block is at 79%. If Dr. Banner makes any more sudden movements, the entire block could come down."

"Civilian status?" He called out, handing Pepper over to Tony.

"Several hundred in the office buildings surrounding Stark Coffee. Only two on site at Stark Coffee."

A sudden pit of dread grew in Steve's stomach. "Is one of them Deadpool?"

"Unfortunately, no. Mr. Wilson has since disappeared from my scanners."

"Then who?" Natasha barked out, watching Steve as he paled.

"Mr. Parker and Ms. Allen."

The world started to disappear into a buzz around Steve as JARVIS' words echoed through his mind. _Ms. Allen. Ms. Allen. Ms. Allen._

" - want constant surveillance on Stark Coffee, okay? As soon as we can get them all out without causing any other civilian casualties, I want to know Jarvis!" Steve felt Tony's gauntlets come down hard on both of his shoulders. "We'll get her out, okay?"

Steve could only nod. "Okay."

"Okay," Tony replied. "Suit up, Rogers. We'll need Cap for this."

_______

The large green monster roared, causing several coffee mugs on the wall to shatter.

"Barbara!" Peter yelled. He moved forward to grab hold of her but was thrown backwards as the Hulk aimed his roar at him.

"Peter!" He heard her cry as he went sailing back into the kitchen. His head collided with one of the ovens, knocking the breath out of him. With a quiet wince, he stood to his feet and limped out into the front.

"Barbara, are you okay - " The words died on his lips. Upon crossing the threshold into the shop, he found Barbara with one arm outstretched towards the Hulk, coaxing him to sit down.

"What are you doing?" He hissed.

She took another step forward, pausing slightly when the Hulk's grumble grew louder, waiting until it fell back into a dull growl before continuing towards him. "Calming him down," she whispered back.

"It's dangerous!"

"Please," she snorted, "it's like reasoning with a toddler. I'm completely safe."

The Hulk, of course, chose that moment to once again growl loudly in her direction. Pausing once again, she waited until the sound quieted down before proceeding. "Completely safe," she muttered again, this time to herself.

Peter slipped from around the corner of the coffee bar, ready to pull her back from the Hulk at a moment's notice, just as she reached the Hulk.

"Hey, big guy," Barbara began, stretching her hand towards him. "It's okay. I'm not angry."

The Hulk huffed at her. "Hulk smash Deadpool!" He growled, hitting the ground with his fists.

The building shook all around them, dust falling from the slowly shifting ceiling. Barbara paused, watching warily. "He's not here anymore."

Pouting, the Hulk readied himself to roar again. "Barbara - " Peter rose his voice slightly, I would move away.

"Hulk want smash!"

"No!" Barbara yelled back. The Hulk shook his head and looked down at Barbara, a frown on his face. "Hulk no smash," she hollered again.

"Hulk want smash!"

"If Hulk want smash, Hulk no get cupcake!"

Huffing, the Hulk dropped unceremoniously onto a sitting position on the ground. "Hulk want two cupcake!" He grumbled. "Three cupcake!"

Barbara breathed a sigh of relief and shot him a small smile. "That, I can do." Turning around, she saw Peter looking at her incredulously. "What?"

"How – he's never - " Peter's mouth opened and closed rapidly. Finally, "what?"

Barbara stepped slowly backwards towards the bakery case, grabbed the entire tray of cupcakes, and made her way back towards the Hulk. "Hey, when you've got it, you've got it."

The loudspeakers squealed for a moment before that same British voice spoke again. "Building integrity is at 68%. The Avengers are on the scene and will be here shortly to help. My – location – mainframe – failing - " The speakers squealed again, causing the Hulk to grumble loudly, before coming to an eerie silence.

Barbara looked at Peter worriedly. "How many buildings share this foundation?"

Peter gulped, looking back at her. "All of them."

Nodding, Barbara turned back towards the Hulk. "Go help them vacate the rest of the buildings."

"What? What can I do?"

He could practically hear Barbara roll her eyes. "Your Spidey suit is peeking out from under your collar, Parker." She turned around to face him again. "They need your help."

"What about you?"

Barbara waved her hand at him before picking up and tossing a cupcake at the Hulk, who gobbled it eagerly. "I'll be fine. It's just like babysitting a toddler. A giant toddler, but a toddler."

Peter frowned, watching as she continued to toss cupcakes at the Hulk. "You're being way too calm about this."

Groaning exasperatedly, Barbara turned back towards him again and shot him a glare. "We can talk about our feelings later, okay? Just help them get the rest of the civilians out! The sooner they're safe, the sooner I will be!"

Peter nodded in reply and was about to swing out the window when Barbara yelled after him. "And don't forget your mask!"

"Oh, right. Thanks!" With a quick launch, Peter was out of the building.

"Finally," Barbara murmured to herself. "A.L.F.R.E.D., what's the status of the building?"

"The Hulk's impactful entrance has caused the foundation under the entire city block to crack. However, the rest of the buildings on the block are currently standing. The Hulk is situated perfectly next to the break in the foundation, and as long as he remains in that position, the Avengers should have more than enough time to vacate the block."

"How much time do you estimate they'll need?"

"Somewhere between 12 and 29 minutes."

Barbara looked at the quickly emptying pan and then back at the Hulk, who was making another "gimme" gesture towards her. "I'm going to need more cupcakes."

_______

Steve was directing the last of the workers onto the street from the building directly behind Stark Coffee when he saw Peter swing above him and head towards the next building. "Spider-man?"

"Parker?" He heard Tony ask over the comms. "What are you doing?"

"Helping!" Was Peter's quick reply as he swung in and out of the top floor of one of the buildings, bringing a small child safely to the ground from one of the upper balconies.

"You left the Hulk alone?" He heard Fury bark over the comms.

"Not alone, Barbara's with him!"

The world started to fuzz around Steve again. "She's what?"

"She's feeding him cupcakes."

"She's feeding him cupcakes?" Steve didn't even recognize his own voice, although he knew the words came out of his mouth.

"Said it's like watching a giant toddler."

"Well, whatever she's doing, it's working," Clint cut back in. "The foundation hasn’t shifted any more since Banner touched down."

"I don't want to risk it any more than I have to," Steve barked out. "Get the rest of them out as fast as you can."

"Roger that, Rogers!" Tony saluted as he flew past. "JARVIS, bring out the family."

______

A sudden crack shook the ground, causing Barbara to fall to her knees. The Hulk, for his part, was munching happily on the last tray of cupcakes she had in the bakery case. "A.L.F.R.E.D.?"

"Building integrity at 43%."

Another rumble came through, this one even harder than the last.

"Building integrity at 37%."

"How's the evacuation going?"

"84% of the civilians have been removed. Estimated time until task completion is three minutes and 27 seconds. Codename Iron Man has called in the Iron Guard to assist with the evacuation.”

Some more dust drifted down from the shifting ceiling, momentarily blinding Barbara. “I would advise that you encourage the Hulk to shift four meters forward into the building. That readjustment should keep the building upright for the rest of the evacuation.”

“All right big guy,” Barbara stepped hesitantly towards the Hulk. “I need you to shift this way just a bit. Can you do that for me?”

Grumbling, the Hulk slid on his but a few feet forward.

“That’s it, just a little more – “

Crack! Barbara looked up just in time to see a large chunk of ceiling panel rush towards the Hulk’s head. Looking up, the Hulk roared as it fell towards him.

“No!”

Time seemed to move in slow motion. Barbara stretched out her hand, a futile gesture in the face of a raging Hulk. But instead of halting his movement, the upward swing of her arm caused her vision to grow brighter. The base of her spine buzzed with energy, and a beam of purple light burst forth from her hands, collided with the ceiling panel, and turned it to dust.

Barbara froze, watching as the dust rained down on the Hulk. The Hulk, too, seemed completely caught off guard.

He dropped his head towards her, eyes wide with wonder. “Red smash big, like Hulk!”

She forced herself to nod, to appear calm. “Yes, smash big. But it’s a secret, okay? We have to keep it quiet. Shhhhh,” she finished, holding her hand up to her lips.

The Hulk mimicked her movements. “Shhhhh.”

Barbara nodded at him. “That’s right.”

“Structural integrity at 17%. Evacuation is thirty seconds away from completion.”

Barbara stepped closer towards the Hulk. “Okay, big guy. Once we get the okay, we’ll need to smash our way out of here. I’ll tell you when. Do you understand?”

The Hulk nodded in reply. “Hulk ready.”

“Great.” Walking forward until she was practically touching him, she reached out for his hand. “Do you mind giving me a lift?”

The Hulk stretched out his hand and smushed her against his chest. “Hulk help Red. Hulk and Red big smash.”

Gasping for breath, Barbara nodded against his chest. “Yes. Big smash.”

A.L.F.R.E.D.’s voice echoed in her ear as more pieces of ceiling began to crumble and rush towards the pair. “Optimal evasion in five, four, three, two, one – “

“Now!”

With a mighty roar, the Hulk burst through the crumbling walls and into the sunlight.

_____

“That’s the last of the civilians,” Natasha spoke detachedly across the comms.

Steve nodded, picking up his shield as he dashed towards Stark Coffee. “Stark, do you have eyes?”

“JARVIS is scanning, picking up low levels of movement – “

“Can you go in?”

“I’m sending in the Iron Guard – Cap, what are you doing?”

Steve felt himself being jerked back. Turning around, he fought to loosen Thor’s grasp. “Thor! Let me go, that’s an order!”

“You can do no good in there, Captain,” Thor replied solemnly. “You must allow Stark to send in his metal army to rescue Lady Allen.”

He heard Clint clear his throat. “Stark, the building’s coming down – “

“ – Iron Guard should be there in less than ten seconds – “

Steve turned and watched in horror as the building collapsed in on himself. He ran forward, fighting against Thor’s hold, but to no avail. “No, no, no,” he muttered over and over again. “Barbara! BARBARA!”

A loud roar echoed his cry, and the Hulk burst through the crumbling building, an explosion of debris raining down upon the Avengers and field agents standing in the street. The Hulk careened wildly past the Avengers, tumbling on the ground and coming to a stop in front of Stark Tower.

The world paused for a moment as a small figure rolled out of the Hulk’s arms. _Barbara._

Steve lurched forward once again, but this time found himself being held back by Natasha. He turned around, ready to reprimand her, only to find her holding a bundle of civilian clothes towards him.

“I’d recommend a costume change, unless you’re ready to come clean,” she murmured, watching him carefully.

Sighing, he nodded, grabbed hold of the clothes, and raced into one of the medical tents. Less than thirty seconds later he was changed and sprinting across the street, towards the gathering crowd of Avengers and SHIELD agents, all of whom were standing around the area that the Hulk and Barbara had landed.

his way to the front of the crowd, he stopped short at the sight in front of him. “What in the – “

“My thoughts exactly,” he heard Clint next to him. “My thoughts exactly.”

_______

In retrospect, forcing more of the purple light behind her and the Hulk probably wasn’t the best idea, as they went flying across the street and practically smashed into Stark Tower, but Barbara would rather be safe than sorry at this point.

Groaning, she pushed herself into a sitting position and crawled over to the Hulk, who was grumbling and rolling on the ground. “You okay big guy?”

The Hulk sat up suddenly and shook his head, before shooting a wide grin at Barbara. “Hulk and Red big smash!”

Barbara couldn’t help it; she burst out into a wild chuckle. “Yes, big smash. But shhhhh!” She whispered, lifting her finger to her lips.

“Shhhhh!” The Hulk imitated her again, before dissolving into his own peals of laughter. “Red funny. Hulk like Red.”

“Aww, I like you too, big guy,” Barbara replied. Pushing down on the ground, she tried to lift herself into a standing position, only to find herself sinking back onto her leg. “Ouch.” Looking down, she inspected her leg, which was covered in quickly purpling bruises. “A.L.F.R.E.D.?”

“My scan suggests an ankle sprain. I would advise keeping your weight off of that leg if at all possible.”

“Red okay?” Hulk boomed, shifting closer to Barbara.

Barbara nodded, wincing slightly. “I’m okay. Just a sprain.”

All of the sudden, the ground disappeared out from under her, and Barbara found herself once again wrapped in the Hulk’s arms. “Hulk carry.”

Patting his arm, she tried to shoot him her most convincing smile. “I’ll be okay, big guy, you don’t need to carry me around.”

“Hulk carry Red,” he pouted, straightening his shoulders with a loud _humph._

“Well, this could be worse, I suppose,” Barbara muttered to herself. Turning her head slightly, she noticed the group of men and women in suits starting to gather near the edge of the Stark Tower property.

“I take it back.”

“Noted, miss,” A.L.F.R.E.D. replied dryly.

It was then that a flash of long blonde hair cut through the gathering crowd and approached the pair sitting near the base of Stark Tower. “Friend Hulk!” Thor’s voice echoed throughout the courtyard. “You have acted most heroically. I must ask that you release hold of Lady Allen and allow her to be inspected by the medical professionals Lord Stark has procured!”

The Hulk snarled at Thor, hugging Barbara even tighter to his chest. “Hulk carry Red!”

“Aye, and you did a marvelous job, my friend! But you must release her now so that she can receive adequate medical treatment!”

Barbara watched as the area was quickly cordoned off, civilians with phones and cameras quickly escorted out of sight of Stark Tower, as Thor continued to try to reason with the Hulk.

“– let her go right this once!”

“HULK CARRY RED!” He roared at Thor. The gathered crowd stumbled back. By this point, Hawkeye and Black Widow had gathered behind Thor, trying to present a unified front.

“How hasn’t he broken her ribs yet?” She saw Clint mouth to Natasha. The redhead only replied with a shrug and a calculated gaze at the young woman in Hulk’s arms.

Another figure suddenly parted the crowd, and Steve appeared in the clearing, dressed in a pair of slacks and a leather jacket. He took one good look at Barbara wrapped in the Hulk’s arms and froze in an almost comical manner.

“Ms. Gordon, might I suggest you try to reason with the Hulk? I agree with Codename Thor’s diagnosis; you should see a medical professional about your sprained ankle as soon as possible.”

Sighing, she turned to face the Hulk. “I’ll see what I can do.”

______

Steve watched in silent anxiety as Barbara turned around in the Hulk’s embrace and patted his arm comfortably. “Hey big guy. Thanks for taking care of me, I really appreciate it. Do you see the guy in the leather jacket over there? That’s Steve. He’s a friend.”

The Hulk nodded in agreement. “Steve friend.”

“That’s right. If you could carry me over to him and set me down there, he can help me find a doctor, and I’ll need a doctor to make my foot feel better. Can you do that for me?”

He replied by getting on his feet and walking Barbara over to Steve. Lowering his arm slowly, he set her down gently on the concrete in front of Steve.

“Hulk carry Red,” he huffed.

Turning towards the Hulk, Barbara motioned for him to come closer and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks, big guy.”

The Hulk blushed – or, well, his cheeks turned an even darker shade of green. He turned away from her and began to walk towards Stark Tower, and as he drew closer to the door, he decreased in size until the Hulk had disappeared and a barely-clothed man passed through the entryway.

It was as if the crowd let out a collective sigh of relief. Barbara turned back to Steve and found him staring at her in unabashed shock.

“Hey Steve,” she smiled at him.

Steve just stared at her in reply. His mouth began moving, but no sound came out.

Clint, who had hastily thrown on a mask covering his eyes, peeked out from behind him. “Barbara? The name’s Hawkeye,” he reached around Steve and shook her hand vigorously. “I gotta say, I’m impressed. How’d you keep your cool?”

Barbara shrugged. “Like I told Spider-man, it’s just like dealing with an oversized toddler. I have nephews. Pretty much the same thing, he’s just a bit bigger. And green.”

Nodding, Hawkeye turned to Steve and jabbed him in the ribs. “You mind taking her to medical?”

That seemed to snap Steve out of it. He’d scooped Barbara up into his arms before she had a moment to protest and carried her swiftly towards the medical tent. “You’re okay?” He asked, gazing at her in worry. “I mean, you look okay – you look great, actually, yellow’s a nice color on you, but you don’t seem too injured – “

“I’m doing great.”

“Really?” He asked, incredulity in his voice.

She nodded, smiling back at him. “If all I need to do to get carried around in your arms is have a playdate with the Hulk, I’ll give him cupcakes more often.”

The blush on Steve’s face, Barbara felt with great certainty as the rush of the day slowly faded, was absolutely worth all the trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the fact I got this chapter done so quickly, and to my immense satisfaction, is honestly really exciting for me. The next chapter is gonna be more fluff and team bonding before we get to the events of The Winter Soldier. I don't know, I like the idea that Barbara is starting to collect the more ostracized members of the group into a family. All of the Avengers are odd ducks, in a way, but I completely believe that Barbara has a giant heart and especially cares for those who are seen as outcasts for various reasons. Just like she loved Jason, I think she'd really keep the more "damaged" Avengers close. She's loyal and protective, and I'm excited to see her relationship with the Hulk grow, especially once she's revealed to the Avengers.
> 
> As always, I love hearing from you and reading your comments! Hopefully this chapter provides some resolution to all the pain from the last one. I can't wait to upload more soon!


	18. Time to Get Closer

"Thanks for the ride, Mr. Hogan," Barbara said as she stepped out of the limo.

"Don't mention it. Take care of yourself, Ms. Allen!"

Barbara waved as the car drove away, sighing deeply once it was finally out of view. Steve had only had time to drop her off at the medical tent before he dashed off to help with clean-up, meaning Barbara was left alone with several people dressed in black that were looking at her suspiciously. She'd be poked and prodded at by a few different members of S.H.I.E.L.D. (not that they knew that she knew what S.H.I.E.L.D. was) and gotten her ankle wrapped, all while being interrogated by the head of the people in black, an agent by the name of Phil Coulson.

_"Can you explain your unusual behavior?"_

_Barbara winced as the nurse pulled tightly on her ankle bandage before looking at Coulson. "I'm sorry?"_

_"Most people don't react well in the Hulk's presence, and that includes members of the Avengers." Phil waved his hand, and the nurse disappeared. "Most people panic, Ms. Allen. Why didn't you?"_

_"Lots of practice," she'd muttered before she realized that she'd spoken._

_Coulson frowned. "I'm sorry?"_

_Her palms began to sweat as she tried to find something, anything to possibly cover up this behavior. The thought popped into her mind suddenly, and she swore she heard Charles' chuckle in her head._

_"One of my friends growing up was a mutant," she began slowly. "Let's just say I got used to strange things very quickly."_

_"Can you give us the name of this mutant?"_

_Barbara shook her head. "That's not my place to say, especially in this political environment."_

_Coulson nodded, his gaze narrowing as he studied her. "All right, then. You're free to go home, Ms. Allen. Just make sure to inform us if you're leaving the country anytime soon. You're not in any sort of trouble, it's just a precaution."_

"Precaution, my ass," Barbara muttered to herself as she walked towards her door. It might have been some sort of newfound awareness from the stone, or maybe it was just her fully-enmeshed sense of paranoia, but Barbara was 99% certain that the brownstone across the street was no longer empty.

"A.L.F.R.E.D., have there been any breaches?" Barbara whispered as she unlocked her door.

"It appears that a group of low-level S.H.I.E.L.D. agents have taken up residence across the street from you. An attempt to insert objects of surveillance into your brownstone has not occurred, but I would not be surprised if it did."

"Great, just great," Barbara replied sarcastically as she shut the front door behind her. "Any sign of Wade?"

"Negative, Ms. Gordon." Barbara leaned against her door and sighed.

"Ms. Gordon, if I may, research shows that consciously finding ways to relax after stressful situations can optimize overall life satisfaction. Might I suggest some form of relaxation this afternoon?"

"A.L.F.R.E.D., you read my mind. Bath time it is."

___

Barbara, clad in a Spiderman themed terry-cloth robe, had just finished filling up her bathtub with bubbles when her phone buzzed. "A.L.F.R.E.D., who is it?" She asked, securing her long hair in a loose bun on top of her head.

"Incoming call from Steve Rogers, Ms. Gordon."

Barbara gasped and grabbed at her phone. "Hi Steve!"

"Oh, uh, hello Barbara! How are you feeling, are you doing okay?"

"I'm exhausted," Barbara exhaled on a laugh. "It's been quite a day."

Steve snorted. "That's an understatement. I – uh, I just finished doing some clean-up here, do you need anything? Is your ankle all right? Do you need me to get groceries or something? I could - "

"Steve," Barbara cut him off with a smile, "I'm doing fine, honestly. Besides, you probably need the rest more than I do. Didn't you just get off a plane or something?"

The phone was silent for a moment before Steve chuckled in a slightly awkward manner. "Yeah, I guess so. I could really use a nap."

"Do you need anything? I mean, I could always run some coffee over or - "

"No!" Steve hollered before clearing his throat. "No, you stay home and rest. I'll be just fine."

Barbara laughed to herself and shook her head. "Well, let me know if you change your mind."

Steve's side of the phone was silent for a moment again. "Actually," he began slowly, "well, I don't need anything exactly, but - " he cut off again and cleared his throat. "Could I see you? On Sunday? If you're free, that is."

Barbara felt her chest began to warm, and there was a smile in her voice when she replied. "That sounds great."

"Really? Great! Great. I'll pick you up at nine?"

"Nine? That works."

"Great. Nine it is." Barbara could hear the sound of someone hollering for Steve and something about schwarma from his side of the line. "I got to run, but take care of yourself, okay?"

"I will. You too, Steve."

This time it was Steve's voice that had a smile in it. "Absolutely, Ma'am. I'll see you soon."

The line disconnected, and Barbara allowed herself a teeny tiny squeal.

"Are you all right, Ms. Gordon?" A.L.F.R.E.D. asked.

"I'm great, A.L.F.R.E.D." Barbara stared down at her phone, a soft smile on her face. "I'm great."

___

_Sunday_

The doorbell rang at precisely nine o'clock. It was a hot July day, so Barbara had gotten up extra early, giving herself plenty of time to braid her hair into a loose fishtail braid and pin it to her head, creating a casual updo look. She wore a dress made of a light blue chambray that had two wide straps, a sweetheart neckline, and an a-line skirt.

"A.L.F.R.E.D., you're running overwatch," she said as she slipped into her shoes.

"Overwatch engaged. I will inform you should your expertise be needed."

"Excellent! You're the best, A.L.F.R.E.D."

"Yes, well, I have my creator to thank for that."

Barbara grinned at one of the sensors in her brownstone before pushing open the door and stepping outside. Steve was there, standing at the foot of her steps, and looking very well-rested, especially compared to the last time she'd seen him.

"Good morning," she hummed as she traipsed down the stairs.

"Good morning," Steve replied, a bright smile on his face. His blonde hair had been combed back with some sort of styling gel, and he was dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans and a blue button-up that had its sleeves rolled up, revealing incredibly shaped forearms.

_Just breathe, just breathe, just breathe_ , Barbara repeated to herself in her mind. Reaching the bottom step, Barbara grabbed hold and squeezed Steve's hand. "It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too," his smile grew soft as he gazed at her. They stood there like that for a few minutes, just looking at each other, before Steve blushed and cleared his throat. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah! Where are we off to, exactly?"

Steve led her to his motorcycle and handed her his helmet. "You'll see. How does starting with breakfast sound?"

___

Breakfast had been delicious. Barbara was a fan of breakfast food all around, but somehow Steve had managed to find a diner that made a chicken and waffles combination that rivaled Alfred's. Steve and Barbara had spent most of the time laughing as Steve filled Barbara in on his "trip" with Tony, and Barbara had recounted her continued battle with the fruit bats that were currently occupying her backyard.

"If you need help getting rid of them, just let me know," Steve had offered as they exited the diner.

"Honestly, I'm kind of getting attached to them at this point," Barbara replied with a chuckle.

"What, have you named them and everything?" When Barbara didn't respond, Steve turned to look at her with an incredulous look on his face. "Wait, you've named them?"

Barbara burst out into a laugh and nodded her head. "Yeah - "

"How do you keep them all straight?"

"I mean, it's all kind of random at this point, I just yell at them and call out whatever name I feel like."

"Fruit bats," Steve shook his head and smiled to himself. "Huh."

"Tell me about it," Barbara chuckled.

Steve began to laugh. Barbara startled at the sound before turning to smile at him. He must have seen it out of the corner of his eye, because suddenly his large hand was holding hers, and her heartbeat was moving at a much faster rate than normal.

They rounded a corner, and Steve beamed at the sight. "We're here!"

Barbara followed his sight line and stopped walking. "The Metropolitan Museum of Art," she read out loud.

Steve turned to look at her suddenly, worry written on his face. "I mean, is this something you're interested in? I just haven't been in a while, so I thought we could check it out, but we could do something else - "

"No, this sounds great," Barbara reassured him with a smile. "I've never been, actually!"

"Really?"

"Really." Barbara squeezed his hand before moving it up his arm and wrapping it around his bicep. "You'll have to give me the grand tour, then."

Steve's face broke out into soft smile. "It would be my pleasure."

___

Time seemed to fly by them. For claiming to not have visited recently, Steve proved to be a fairly knowledgeable guide, leading Barbara through the European Armor for Field and Tournament, the Greek and Roman Art, and the European Sculpture and Decorative Arts. Before they knew it, it was early afternoon, and after stopping for a quick bite to eat in one of the cafes at the Museum, they made their way through the Oceanic art exhibit to the Modern and Contemporary Art.

Steve's face took on a look of wonder as they wandered through. Barbara was truly fascinated by all of the art work around them, but she got the most enjoyment out of Steve's expressions as they walked around. This was something she would never have expected him to be passionate about but seeing his admiration and love of everything in the museum – well, Barbara would be lying if she didn't say that it brought all the closer to feeling more than just "strong like" towards Steve Rogers.

"Do you paint?"

Steve was shocked out of his stupor as they made their way back towards the European Sculpture and Decorative Arts. "Sorry?"

"Are you an artist at all? I mean, you really know your stuff."

Steve shrugged the compliment away. "I did a bit here and there. I'm nowhere near these guys. It's more like a hobby. I just haven't really had the free time lately."

Barbara watched Steve for a moment. "Well, I think you'd be great at it."

He turned to look with her, surprise flickering on his face. "Really?"

She nodded, smiling at him softly. "Really. If you ever do pick it back up, I would love to see your work."

"Really?"

"Really." They reached the entrance of the exhibit and stood there again, just looking at each other for a while. The whistle of a passer-by caught them off guard, and Barbara felt her face flush at the same time as Steve. “This was a great idea, Steve. I had a wonderful time.”

“Well,” Steve began, his face lighting up with a small smile, “I do have a few more ideas.”

_Monday_

Barbara threw her head back and moaned. “This is the best milkshake I’ve ever had EVER.”

Steve chuckled loudly at her expression before taking a sip of his own milkshake. “’Angie’s’ is an institution in Brooklyn. It’s been around here since the fifties. I mean, it doesn’t have the best decorations – “

“Are you kidding? All this vintage Captain America merch?” Barbara surveyed the antique memorabilia on the walls and smiled. “I love it.”

Flushing, Steve’s eyes dropped down onto his milkshake before he took another sip. “Really?”

Barbara smirked to herself, watching him over the top of her straw. “Oh yeah. My mom was really big into antiquing, so I love this sort of stuff.

“And Captain America himself isn’t too hard on the eyes,” she remarked offhandedly, loudly slurping with her straw.

Steve choked, and Barbara giggled to herself.

_Tuesday_

“On your left!”

Barbara shut her eyes and focused on breathing, letting time flow by as she ran around Central Park. Stark Coffee was closed all through this week, and most likely the next, meaning she’d agreed to run with Steve at six in the morning. She was already regretting that decision. _Patience, Barbara, patience –_

“On your left!”

Barbara’s eyes snapped open. Clearly, Steve was getting overexcited; it’d only been eight minutes since his last complete lap.

She counted down the seconds as she ran. When her internal clock got to seven minutes and twenty seconds, she readied her arm.

“On your l – “

Barbara threw out her arm just in time to clothesline Steve, who fell on the ground with a loud “oof”. She turned around to find Steve staring at her sheepishly from his sprawled position on the ground. “Sorry,” he winced as he pushed himself to his feet. “I can get a little over-excited sometimes.”

Barbara grinned and winked at him. Steve began to stammer, flushing bright red.

_Three for three. Not bad, Barbara,_ she thought to herself.

Saving Steve from any further embarrassment, Barbara leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “How about we get some omelets and call it even?”

Steve beamed back at her and nodded his head. “Works for me.”

_Wednesday_

“Don’t do it, don’t do it, don’t do it,” Steve murmured to himself over and over again. His eyes were glued to the movie screen in front of them.

Barbara, on the other hand, was constantly switching between watching the movie and watching Steve. He’d been the one to suggest the 80s horror movie marathon at the local cinema, but he’d been anxiously clutching the armrests of both his seat and Barbara’s since the movie began.

The girl on the screen stopped breathing, straining to hear if the monster was outside her door. Steve leaned closer, listening in the silence.

When the monster’s arm cut through the door with a large knife, Steve flinched so hard he almost knocked Barbara’s popcorn out of her hands. Barbara clutched the bag closer to her and took another bite, her eyes solely fixed on Steve, who fell back against the chair, gasping for breath.

Barbara watched him for a few more moments before inclining the popcorn bag towards him. “Popcorn?”

Steve turned to look at her, an expression of disbelief on his face. “How are you hungry right now?” He whispered loudly.

“It’s a gift,” she replied, tossing a few more kernels into his mouth. Barbara reached down to her armrest – the one that wasn’t near Steve – and grabbed her soda. “Do you want soda instead?”

The girl on the screen screamed, and Steve jumped, knocking the drink out of Barbara’s hand.

“I’ll take that as a no.”

“Let’s do a movie musical marathon next time, okay?” Steve muttered from his slumped down position in the seat.

“Deal.”

_Thursday_

“Again, about the soda – “

“Steve, don’t worry about it! It’s fine, I swear. Besides,” Barbara lifted up the large travel cup and shook it at him, “this one is much better.”

“Good,” Steve nodded, narrowly dodging a group of young boys who were racing towards the Ferris Wheel. They’d arrived at Coney Island when it opened, and they’d spent the first two hours going on all of the thrill rides they possibly could. They’d ridden the Cyclone once, the Astro Tower twice, Steeplechase three times, and had just stepped off the Brooklyn Flyer when Steve called for a refreshment break. They were currently meandering up and down the Midway, looking for openings at the Games Stations.

A cluster of young girls were huddled around the Pyramid Smash stand. Barbara slowed down, watching as the smallest girl succeeded in only knocking one of the cans down.

“Ashley, tell your sister we want to go,” a girl with brown braids complained.

“Yeah, Ashley!”

The taller blonde girl – presumably Ashley – poked her sister in the arm. “Let’s go, Katie.”

Katie turned around, tears in her eyes. “But – but – “

“Don’t be a baby, Katie,” the braided girl taunted.

“Yeah, Katie, don’t be a baby!” One of the other girls echoed.

“Besides,” braids tossed her hair, “we’re not all winners. It’s better you learn that now.”

The girls – including the sister, to Barbara’s disgust – began to snicker. Katie turned to follow, and Barbara saw the tears begin to stream down her face.

“Better luck next time, girlie,” the carnie smirked at her before turning to reset the cans.

“Hold this.” Barbara shoved the soda in Steve’s direction and stalked over to the carnival worker at the Pyramid Smash. Turning on her best smile, she tossed her hair. “I’d like to try, please.”

The carnie – an older man with greasy hair and a snaggletooth – smiled a yellowed grin at her and handed her the tennis balls. “Of course, gorgeous.

“And hey, if you lose, don’t feel too bad,” he smirked, leaning back against the railing.

Barbara smiled back at him as she wound up. Turning her gaze towards the cans, she focused on her right arm. She didn’t need to use all her force, just enough –

She threw her arm forward, and the tennis ball slammed into the stack of cans and threw the wooden wall at the back of the stand. The cans flew out towards her, making quite a ruckus as they bounced along the ground.

The carnie shook his head, looking at the back of his stand. “What the – “

“I’ll take my prize, please,” Barbara sang. When he turned to look back at her, she still had a sweet smile on her face, but her eyes were burning purple.

Gulping, he nodded. “Which one?”

Barbara pointed.

As soon as the animal was in her arms, Barbara took off down the boardwalk in the direction of the group of girls. They’d stopped at a Whack-a-Mole, and the five older girls were clustered around the game. Katie was essentially boxed out of the group, looking miserable. Barbara guessed she had to be around five or six.

“Hey, are you Katie?”

The girls crowded around the Whack-a-Mole turned and gaped at her. Katie nodded, wiping away her tears with her fist.

“I’m Barbara,” she smiled at her, kneeling on the ground. “It turns out there was a mistake back at the Pyramid Smash. You won this!”

Katie blinked rapidly. “Really?”

“Really.” Barbara held out her arms, and Katie took the oversized Huskie into hers. Barbara bit back a laugh; the stuffed dog was taller than the small girl.

Katie beamed at the dog and wrapped her arms around its neck. “Thank you!”

“Don’t thank me! It’s only what a winner deserves,” Barbara smiled back.

An older blonde woman made her way through the crowd. “Katie, what do you have there?”

“Puppy!” She squealed, hugging it even tighter.

The woman sighed and looked at Barbara gratefully. “Can you say thank you to the pretty lady for bringing it to you?”

“Thank you!” Katie squealed.

“Of course,” Barbara smiled back. She nodded at the woman, who nodded back in reply before taking her spot behind the girls, directing a man – presumably her husband – to carry the dog on his shoulders. The group moved away – the other girls looking somewhat ashamed – and Barbara stepped backwards, finding herself up against what felt like a solid wall.

“Oh, sorry – “ Barbara turned around and found herself face to face with Steve, who had an indescribable look on his face.

“Steve!” She exclaimed anxiously. _Hopefully he didn’t watch that too carefully._ “I’m so sorry, I – “

“You’re amazing.”

Barbara’s words froze in her mouth. “What?”

“I saw the whole thing. What you did for that little girl – “ he broke off for a moment, shaking his head at her in adoration. “You’re a hero.”

Barbara chuckled nervously. “Oh please, I’m hardly – “

“Well, you are to her. And you set a good example for the other girls that were with her.” He paused, staring her in the eyes. “You’re something special, Barbara Allen.”

“You’re not too bad yourself, Steve Rogers,” she whispered back, an easy smile spreading across her face.

“So,” Barbara snatched her soda back from him with a playful tone, “how about you try that ‘Strongman Challenge’?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea – “

“Don’t be modest,” Barbara said, linking her arm through his. “You’ve got this in the bag!”

\---

“I still can’t believe you ruptured the bell! How does that even happen?”

“Well, it’s an old game. I mean, you punctured a wall at that Pyramid toss thing – “

“Yes, but that was made of Styrofoam,” Barbara lied.

“So was the bell.”

Barbara leaned back against the seat, quirking an eyebrow. “Really. The brass bell was made out of Styrofoam.”

“No,” Steve muttered, causing Barbara to laugh even louder. After the incident at the “Strongman Challenge”, they’d made their way through the rest of the rides – skipping the Haunted House out of respect for Steve’s nerves – had dinner at Feltman’s and made their way to their Ferris Wheel. They’d stood in line for close to two hours but being able to ride just after the sun had set was worth the wait, in Barbara’s opinion.

“This has been a great week,” Steve changed the subject. He moved his arm from its spot next to Barbara until it was laying around her, and Barbara unsuccessfully repressed butterflies from fluttering about her stomach.

“No, this has been a perfect week. Thank you.”

“No,” he whispered before turning to face her. “Thank you.”

Barbara’s mouth suddenly went dry. Her hands became clammy, her stomach tensed up, and it was as if time suddenly slowed down.

“Steve – “

Anything else she might have said was cut off by the soft touch of his lips on hers. Barbara froze, just for a moment, before sighing into the kiss.

Steve pulled away after a few moments. Lifting up his right hand, he cradled her left cheek, and she allowed herself to fall into the touch.

He shook his head as he gazed at her. “I – you – I think – you’re pretty swell, Barbara Allen.”

Barbara held her hand up and laid it against his. “I think you’re pretty swell too, Steve Rogers.”

He beamed at her. “Good, good, I’m glad, I was kind of worried – I mean, I wasn’t really worried, but I was still kind of worried – “

Grinning, Barbara grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulled him towards her, and gave him a reason to not talk for the rest of the ride.

_____

_Friday_

“So.”

Steve grinned in spite of himself. Shoving his shield onto his back, he turned to face Natasha, who looked like the cat who caught the canary. “So.”

“Didn’t get home until late last night, huh?”

“It wasn’t like that – “

“I know. You’re too old-fashioned for that.”

Steve deflated slightly. “Yeah.”

“Hey,” Natasha frowned, walking over towards him. “That’s not a bad thing.” Taking his face in her hands, she leaned close to him. “You do whatever’s comfortable for you, okay? And don’t let anyone give you shit about it. If they do, you find me and I’ll handle it.”

Steve smiled gratefully at Natasha. “You’re a good friend, Natasha.”

“I know,” she replied with a wink. “Now, you ready to go?”

“Yes ma’am. What’s the mission?”

“Hostage situation aboard the Lemurian Star. Simple clean-up op, nothing too crazy. We’ll be back home before you know it.”

“Good,” he replied to Natasha’s retreating back. Pulling out his cell phone, he pushed a button and the home screen lit up, Barbara’s smiling face looking back at him. He smiled at the sight before powering it off and stuffing it into his utility belt.

“Why, you got plans?”

“Yes, actually.” Jumping into a jog, he bounded past Natasha, opening the door onto the landing pad for her.

“I have a date.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY GOD FINALLY. I've been agonizing over this chapter for what feels like forever. I really wanted their relationship to continue to grow in an organic way without taking too much time. Now that this part is out of the way, I can get on to more of the plot, and we need more plot in order for them to become the solid couple they're meant to be!
> 
> Anyways, I'm SO SO SORRY that it has taken me this long to write. Like I said, this chapter has been AWFUL to write. I'm really trying to stay true to Steve here (like, Avengers film Steve, not later movies Steve because FUCK THE CANON FOR REASONS I WON'T TALK ABOUT HERE) and plan dates that seem true to his character and it is WAY harder than you would think. I'm super excited to be done with this chapter though, because the story's about to ramp up here. The next few chapters are really going to solidify Barbara and who she is -- basically, I want her to finally come to terms with everything and realize that your damage, your past is part of you, but it doesn't define you. That's going to be a major theme of the next few chapters, and a spoilery hint - an old friend will be coming to visit Barbara very soon!
> 
> In the meantime, I wanted to give you a quick life update. The good news is that I won a grant from my MA program to study in London for two weeks. LONDON FOR FREE Y'ALL. The bad news? I probably won't be able to updated this again until the middle/end of June. However, as a peace offering, tonight I'll be uploading the first four chapters of my new Gotham/DC AU Barbara/Bruce story, "Queen of Hearts". It's definitely a different take on Barbara, but I really just want to see more works that put our girl in situations where she can have amazing stories of her own. It's definitely a bit darker and a bit more messed up (just like Gotham, in all honesty), but it's going to be fun, and I'm more than happy to be one of the writers who helps get more Barbara Gordon appreciation on this site!
> 
> As always, your comments mean everything, and I will happily take every/all suggestions you have. And if you have anymore Barbara/Steve date ideas, please let me know - I'll try to fit them in to the future chapters of the story when I can.
> 
> With all my love, Clara


	19. Too Close

“I apologize for interrupting your breakfast, Ms. Gordon, but there is a developing situation that I believe needs our attention.”

Barbara slurped the last of the milk from her cereal bowl and set it in the sink. She’d slept in much longer than she’d meant to and ate two meals’ worth of cereal as a consequence. “What’s happening?”

“The Secretary of Defense is giving a speech to all active S.H.I.E.L.D. employees. Director Fury has just been announced dead, and Captain Steve Rogers has been upgraded to fugitive status.”

She froze only momentarily before jumping into action. “A.L.F.R.E.D., initiate protocol Fortress of Solitude. And patch me through to S.H.I.E.L.D. I want audio as soon as possible.”

The blinds on all her windows slid shut as Barbara squeezed through the slowly opening door that led to her basement. Barbara ran forward through the dimly lit room, warm-colored wall lights flickering to life. All but throwing herself into her chair, she reached for the nearest keyboard and began typing. The large speakers burst to life as the computer monitors blinked on.

“ - Rogers has information regarding the death of Director Fury, he refused to share it. As difficult as this is to accept, Captain America is a fugitive from SHIELD.”

“What happened to Fury?” Barbara asked A.L.F.R.E.D. as SHIELD agents began talking loudly amongst themselves.

“The file was just uploaded to Pierce’s secure server twelve seconds ago.”

“Send it to screen four.”

A new voice began to speak. “Whatever your op is, bury it. This is Level One. Contact DOT. All traffic lights in the district go red. Shut all runways at BWI, IAD and Reagan. All security cameras in the city go through this monitor, right here. Scan all open sources. Phones, computers, PDAs, whatever. If someone tweets about this guy, I want to know about it.”

“A.L.F.R.E.D., it’s like he’s reading my mind,” Barbara murmured as her fingers slammed into her keyboard.

“How many fake Twitter accounts would you like up and running?”

“How about 1700, just to start. Throw in a few think-pieces about the legacy of Captain America as well.”

“Right away, Ms. Gordon.”

“Have the Avengers been alerted?”

“Not yet. Would you like Oracle to give them a call at this time?”

“Not yet. I want to know exactly what we are dealing with. We’re going full Bruce Wayne on this, A.L.F.R.E.D. Leave no data unmined.”

___

“So just to recap,” Barbara began slowly. “HYDRA has been feeding off of S.H.I.E.L.D.  since day one. It’s possible that almost half of the organization is made up of HYDRA operatives, as well as the Secretary of Defense, and HYDRA has successfully infiltrated a lobbying group that has successfully funded the campaigns of over 20 senators and 47 representatives. Am I right so far?”

“Correct, Ms. Gordon.”

“Pierce hired an operative called the “Winter Soldier” to take out Fury, and now he’s ordered the operative to take out Steve and Romanoff. Project Insight is set to go active in 20 hours. What’s the estimated death toll at again?”

“Millions, Ms. Gordon.”

“Right.” Barbara began to rub her eyes. “How did we miss this?”

“It was not on our radar as a possibility. Rest assured, Ms. Gordon, I have updated my system protocols for the future.”

She sat silently for a few moments. Sighing, she nodded to herself before leaning back towards the monitors. “A.L.F.R.E.D., prepare the Kryptonite virus. In 18 hours, it’s open season on all of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s data.”

“Very good, Ms. Gordon.”

“Get that list of active HYDRA sites ready for transmission. I’ve got some calls to make.”

Whipping out her cell phone, Barbara pressed a number and waited.

“Hey Barbie! How’s life in the Dream House?”

“I need you to do a job for me.”

Wade was silent for a moment. “Babs – “

“How do you feel about stabbing Nazis?”

“WHAT? Is it my birthday already?”

_____

“Mr. Stark, you have a call waiting.”

Tony angled his head back over his shoulder, eyes glued to the screen in front of him. “Not right now, dear.”

“He says it’s urgent.”

Tony paused for a moment at JARVIS’s tone. “Who says?”

“ORACLE, sir.”

Tony dropped the controller and raced out of the room, yelling for Bruce and Clint.

Twenty seconds later, a panting Tony, a slightly annoyed Clint and an altogether too calm Bruce were in the 79th floor conference room. “Patch him in, JARVIS.”

“Mr. Stark,” a crystal clear British voice began to speak, “I apologize for interrupting your afternoon, but I’m afraid something of the upmost importance has occurred.”

“Okay, before you start, can I ask – “

“I’m afraid we don’t have time for idle chatter, Mr. Stark. Director Fury has been pronounced dead, and Captain Rogers, along with Agent Romanoff, have been labelled fugitives of the law.”

The room was silent. “That’s not possible – “

“HYDRA has taken over control of S.H.I.E.L.D.”

Tony turned to look at Bruce, whose face was ashen. Meeting Tony’s eyes, he shook his head.

“Let’s see some proof,” Clint pushed out through gritted teeth.

“If I may, Mr. Stark?”

“Tony, you can’t be serious – “

“JARVIS, initiate a secure offsite download.”

“Of course, sir. Items being downloaded now.”

The screen in front of the men suddenly became populated with classified documents. A video appeared and began to play.

Clint stopped pacing and gaped at the sight. “There’s no way. There’s no way – “ Reaching for the phone in his pocket, he began to type furiously.

“When was this?” Tony asked, moving closer to the screen.

“Three hours ago, Mr. Stark.”

“Why are you just telling us this now?” Bruce asked, his voice only betraying a slight quiver.

“We needed to do a bit of digging to find out exactly what happened. I’ve prepared a file for your perusal. It contains a write-up of Project Insight, which is set to go live in fifteen hours, as well as dossiers of all suspected HYDRA operatives according to our algorithm. We were also able to find incriminating evidence of Secretary Pierce’s involvement with HYDRA, as well as several other high-ranking government officials, including a General Ross.”

“JARVIS – “

“Already analyzing the information, sir. It is being condensed and sent to your device. All items have been saved to our secure server.”

“You’re sure this isn’t fake, Tony?” Bruce muttered.

Clint slammed his phone on the table. “It’s not fake.”

“Sorry?” Bruce asked, turning to look at him.

Clint picked up his cracked phone and shook it at Bruce. “Tasha made the site active.”

“What site?”

“A Budapest travel blog.”

Now it was Tony’s turn to look at him. “No, seriously, what happened in Budapest?”

“Not the time, Stark,” Barton growled. “The site is our signal. If something on one of our missions has gone wrong, we turn the site on. It’s active. She’s in trouble.”

Clint whirled around, walking towards the door. “Hey, what do you think you’re doing?”

“Going after Natasha,” he snapped at Tony. “What does it look like I’m doing?”

“Natasha can handle herself. Rogers too,” Tony pushed back. “We need to take down S.H.I.E.L.D.”

“And how do you propose we do that? Just waltz in? We might have a Hulk on our side, but that’s a lot of agents, and probably a lot of clean ones too.”

“Guys, I’m looking at the schematics for this Project Insight thing, and I don’t think even the Hulk could take these down once they’re airborne, not without causing a lot of collateral damage,” Bruce interrupted, flipping through the files on the screen.

“Gentlemen, I believe we may have a solution – “

Tony turned on his heel and glowered at the screen. “What is it with you and your personal pronouns?”

“Mr. Stark. I have contacted a special ops team to go in and take down S.H.I.E.L.D. They will be contacting you shortly. Mr. Barton, I am in the process of luring the HYDRA team whose composition includes the Winter Soldier to a location I am sending you on your phone. Find Agent Romanoff and Captain Rogers and take the Soldier down. Mr. Stark, I would advise that you gather your best attorneys and start working on a way to ensure that the Avengers Initiative remains in your control and is not delegated to another governing attorney. I would recommend contacting the UN once you have your affairs in order. If you need assistance in building any cases for the prosecution of any of the names in the dossier, I will do whatever I can to help. Mr. Banner, I would advise that you assist Mr. Stark. If the special ops team does their job, you won’t be needed to assist in preventing Project Insight from going live, and the team will need someone to remain here and coordinate with your attorneys.”

“Hey, just a second – “

“I will continue to send you information as I see fit. Good luck, gentlemen. We will all need it.”

The line went cold. Bruce, Tony, and Clint only paused a moment before leaping into action.

“ – Potts, that son of a bitch is a Nazi. Yes. That Secretary of Defense – “

“ - I’m taking the Quinjet. JARVIS, get me Tasha, whatever it takes – “

“ – JARVIS, get me everything you can from the servers, we need to start putting together those exhibits for prosecution – “

“ – Pepper, I’m serious, I need you to drop whatever you’re doing, call in all of our attorneys, and I mean all of them – no, I don’t need to take a paternity test – “

“ – Mr. Banner, there is an incoming call – “

“ – Patch it in, JARVIS – “

“A little birdie told me you guys could use some help.”

“ – Yes, ten minutes, conference room four. Logan, you son of a bitch.”

___

"Ms. Gordon, I suggest that you get some rest."

Barbara dropped her head into her hands, elbows propped on her desk. "We're going live in four hours - "

"I will set a timer for three. Mr. Wilson and his team are still en route to the Triskelion."

"Two hours."

"That is acceptable."

__

Tony patted the head Stark Industries attorney on the back. "However many paralegals or assistants you need, bring them in. I want all of these cases ready for prosecution as soon as possible."

"Of course, Mr. Stark."

"Pepper! Where are we at with the U.N.?"

"Our proposal has been sent to the representatives. Only one response so far."

"What's the verdict?"

"Wakanda approves."

"Great, keep it up!" Tony kissed Pepper on the cheek before making his way over to Bruce, who was on the far side of the room, working the op command center. "How are we looking?"

"Teams are in position. Barton?"

Clint's voice muttered through the coms. "Trap is set, waiting for the mouse."

"Okay, good, good. Once ORACLE gives the signal, we go live, got it?" Tony began punching commands into the keyboard. "JARVIS, send me Mach 71."

Bruce turned to Tony, eyebrows furrowed. "You're not going there, are you?"

"Bastard’s a Nazi, Brucie. He's going down."

"Absolutely not! Excuse me," Pepper stepped away from the table. "Tony - "

"Pepper, I have to do this - "

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do - "

"We need you here - "

" - won't let him get away with this - "

" - we won't, what do you think I hired the attorneys for - "

" - Bruce, help me out here - "

" - Bruce, say nothing - "

"Incoming call from Maria Hill."

"Great, JARVIS, put her on," Bruce interrupted.

"I see you've been busy, Stark," a deep voice spoke.

Everyone in the room quieted down. "Fury?"

"The one and only."

"How are you alive - "

"Wait, how do you know - "

"I'm a spy. This is part of the job description," he snorted over the line. "Keep doing what you're doing, Stark. Leave Pierce to me."

The line went dead.

“Okay, fine, you heard the pirate. Back to work everyone!”

___

"Okay assholes, here's the play," Logan growled. "Jean, Scott, Hank, Piotr, Ororo, you head towards the transport bay. Destroy everything.” The group, lead by Jean, nodded and split off. Logan watched them for a moment before turning to look at the rest of the group.  "Betsy, Remy, Sean, Warren, Alex, you go HYDRA-hunting with Wilson. Start in the control room. Raven, Kitty, Kurt, you're with me. We're going for Pierce."

"Meet you there, buddy! All right team, let's go!" Throwing his arms in the air, Wade ran off towards the direction of the lobby. Logan smirked at Remy, who shook his head and motioned for the team to follow them.

"We're in position. Ready when you are, Stark."

___

Tony ran over to the monitor. "Wait for our signal. JARVIS?"

"Incoming call from ORACLE."

"Perfect timing, put them on. ORACLE, once I give the unclear, can you dump all the data?"

The voice was silent before replying. “Are you sure about that, Mr. Stark? That will compromise several active SHIELD agents, not to mention the rest of the Avengers.”

"If the corruption goes as deep as we guess, then we need total transparency," Pepper spoke up, moving closer towards Tony. “Besides, we’ll need that information to be free and open to the public if our lawsuits are going to go anywhere.”

“I’ve already contacted Agent Coulson,” Bruce spoke up from his improvised workstation. “He’s working on extracting their remaining undercover operatives.”

“We can do it,” ORACLE replied finally. “Consider yourself duly warned, Mr. Stark.”

“Yep, got it, thank you,” Tony waved his hand, typing commands into one of his computers. “Are you ready to get this show on the road?”

“Ready and waiting for your command, Mr. Stark.”

“Give ‘em hell, Jeeves.”

\--

Barbara muted the call as she pulled the SHIELD server on her screen. “A.L.F.R.E.D., upload the Kryptonite virus onto the server. It’s go time.”

Code began to fly across her screen as the Kryptonite virus began breaking through SHIELD’s cybersecurity. “Permission to initialize data dump?”

“Permission granted.” Barbara pressed a button and unmuted her call. “We’re live, Mr. Stark,” she spoke through her A.L.F.R.E.D. voice modulator.

“Excellent!” She heard Tony exclaim through the phone. “JARVIS, begin itemizing the data as its downloaded. Pepper, get Darcy to alert the usual outlets. Bruce, monitor the download. If anything too hot comes through, isolate it and get JARVIS to wipe it. Logan, you’re up.”

\--

“How’s it going, A.L.F.R.E.D.?” Barbara asked over the sound of screeching metal as the X-Men began tearing through the helicarrier bay.

“Mr. Wilson and his team have made substantial progress. Most HYDRA agents have been incapacitated on Levels 1-7. They are currently en route to Level 8. One of the helicarriers has been completely destroyed, and Insight Helicarriers 2 and 3 are both at 30% structural integrity.”

“Excellent. What about the data download?”

“The leaks from SHIELD are already trending on Twitter, as well as most of the major news outlets. I have isolated a few stray files that I have deemed unfit for public consumption.”

“Great, bring them up.”

The top file appeared on Barbara’s screen, and her blood froze. “That’s not possible.”

A video of James Buchanan Barnes appeared, and Barbara watched in horror as he shot two figures identified in the accompanying file as Howard and Maria Stark. “A.L.F.R.E.D., did you erase this before the data dump?”

“Yes, Ms. Gordon. Would you like me to delete the footage?”

Barbara inhaled deeply through her nose. “No. Send it to Stark. He deserves to know.”

“Right away, Ms. Gordon.”

\---

“It only took about twenty minutes, but we took him down,” Clint boasted over the speakers.

“Twenty minutes? Are you slipping in your old age?” Tony joked over the sound of frantic attorneys shuffling papers and fielding phone calls from Capitol Hill.

“He certainly isn’t. Stark, you’re never going to believe this, but the Winter Soldier? He’s Bucky Barnes.”

“Wait, Bucky Barnes – as in _the_ Bucky Barnes? Like, Steve Rogers’ Bucky Barnes?”

“Well, his brain’s been fried by HYDRA, but yeah, that Bucky Barnes. Steve was practically catatonic when he finally took him down.”

“Where is Rogers?”

“He’s with us. He’s practically sitting on top of Barnes which honestly is kind of weirding me out – “

“What’s your ETA?”

“Forty minutes, but with Nat driving, could be closer to ten.”

“Well, be quick about it. The sooner you’re all here, the better.”

“Tony,” Bruce moaned from across the room.

“You hear that? Bruce agrees with me!”

“Tony!” He turned and found himself face to face with a slightly green Dr. Banner.

“Hey Pep, how about you relocate everyone to the downstairs conference room?” Tony whispered calmly as he took in Bruce’s distraught expression.

Seeing their body language, Pepper nodded and quickly shoved everyone out of the room before shutting the door behind her.

“Okay, Banner, you’re seriously starting to freak me out right now – “

“JARVIS, play the video just received from ORACLE.”

The lights dimmed, and Tony’s nightmare came to life on the screen in front of them.

\--

_Arrogance may not be a uniquely American trait, but I must say you do it better than anyone. But there are limits to what even you can do, Captain. Or did Erskine tell you otherwise?_

Steve collapsed against the wall. He faintly heard Tony’s screams as he argued loudly with Natasha and Maria, but all Steve could focus on was the sight of Bucky’s empty eyes, Bucky shooting Howard at point blank range, of the light leaving Howard’s eyes –

_I took the liberty of coming up with some options. What you’re holding there? That’s all the Vibranium we got. Rarest metal on Earth._

He understood Tony’s anger. Hell, he was angry about it too. But HYDRA had done something to Bucky, something awful, something so evil it made his skin itch enough for him to tear it off –

_That little guy from Brooklyn who was too dumb not to run away from a fight. I’m following him. But you’re keeping the outfit, right?_

He watched in silence as Bucky was led from the conference room by a confused yet solemn Thor, who had arrived just in time to prevent Tony from throwing Bucky out the window of the building. Thor nodded at Steve as he passed by, but Steve just shut his eyes, focusing on breathing, on the sound of blood roaring through his ears with every heart beat –

_The secret’s out, Cap. Everyone knows. The whole world knows._

Red hair and a bright smile flashed into his mind, and Steve’s heart sunk. He took out his phone and pressed a series of buttons that felt new and familiar and dear all at once -

"Steve?"

His heart tore at the sound of her voice.

"Steve? Steve?"

"Barbara - "

"Oh thank God," her voice came out in a loud gasp, "I just saw the news – are you all right? Are you injured? Is everything okay? Do you need me to - "

"Barbara."

Her voice cut out suddenly at the sound of his sullen tone.

Tears welled in his eyes, but he forced them shut. This had to be done, so there was no use in crying over it.

"I'm sorry."

Steve hung up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY GOD THIS TOOK FOREVER. I wanted to write this more like something you would experience rather than a straight story, so it took awhile to get all the beats right. I'm not 100% thrilled with all of the dialogue, but at this point I just need to move past it and get into the nitty gritty of the story. Also, I'm back from London! I had a fabulous time and was so inspired over there and writing is just pouring out (into all these other stories I haven't started yet, but that's the way life works). Anyways, I'm getting started on the next chapter right now, and I'm hoping to have at least that uploaded next week. I hope you're all having a fabulous summer!


	20. Harder Better Faster Stronger

It felt like the breath had been knocked out of her lungs. "Steve?"

There was no reply.

“A.L.F.R.E.D., was the call dropped?”

“It was disconnected from Captain Rogers’ end.” A.L.F.R.E.D.’s voice grew quieter. “I’m sorry, Ms. Gordon.”

She leaned back against her chair, eyes unseeing the data and tweets fly across the screen, skin not feeling the tears running against it, ears not hearing A.L.F.R.E.D. as his voice grew more and more worried. Everything faded, except the familiar ache in her chest.

“Ms. Gordon – “

Barbara pushed herself back from the computer screens violently. “A.L.F.R.E.D., run Overwatch. Let me know if Oracle is needed at all.”

“Of course, Ms. Gordon.”

She took to the stairs two at a time, and upon reaching the kitchen she slammed the door behind her with a frustrated yell.

“I’m sure whomever it is that has you this upset deserves it, love, but I’d recommend calming down.”

Groaning, Barbara opened her eyes and focused her glare on John Constantine, who was once again sitting at her kitchen table. He just smirked at her and shoved a decanter of what was probably whiskey in her direction. “As pretty as your eyes are when they glow, it’s probably in your best interest to stay calm.”

That made Barbara freeze in place. “Glow?”

Constantine snapped his fingers. A mirror appeared in front of her, hovering above the ground. Barbara stared at her reflection in shock. Her eyes were, in fact, glowing bright purple. Gasping, Barbara stepped back from the sight, and the glow disappeared almost instantly.

“A consequence of that Stone, I’m sure.” Kicking the other kitchen table chair out with his feet, Constantine slapped his hand on the table. “Take a seat, Gordon. I promised you a drink, didn’t I?”

Still numb from shock – and emotional exhaustion – Barbara collapsed into the seat across from Constantine, grabbed the decanter, and gulped down several mouthfuls of whiskey. Constantine’s eyebrows furrowed in concern as Barbara slammed the now half empty decanter down on the table. Barbara shook her head back and forth, making a gagging sound. “That never gets better.”

“Not if you drink it like that,” he snorted, slowly moving the decanter back towards him. “So. How are things?”

“Fantastic. Spent my day taking down SHIELD, because surprise, SHIELD was actually Nazis. Dumped all of SHIELD’s intel on the web, and Captain America, who I was dating and I knew who he was from the start but he didn’t know that I knew and now that he knows I know, dumped me. So life’s great, thanks for asking.”

Constantine slid the decanter back towards her. “You need this more than I do right now.”

Barbara glared at him before taking another swig of the whiskey.

“SHIELD’s a bunch of Nazis, huh? I’m almost sad I missed it.”

“Wait, have you worked with them?”

“Hardly. Strange just griped about them a bunch, is all. I thought he was just being a prat.”

“His griping was probably well-deserved.”

“Maybe, but he’s still a prat.”

Barbara snorted, and Constantine’s face broke into a small smile. “Good. Hold onto your sense of humor. God knows you need one in this line of work.”

Sighing, Barbara cocked her head and took in Constantine. “Why are you here, really?”

“I promised you a drink, didn’t I? And it’s a good thing I came when I did, from the looks of it.” Constantine leaned back in his seat. “Things aren’t really good back at home right now.”

Barbara frowned and leaned towards him. “What do you mean?”

Constantine sighed. “There’s a bunch of superhero registration legislation being pushed through Congress right now, and it’s looking like it might go international. Luthor’s been doing a hell of a lot of campaigning in favor of the legislation. The whole country’s tense.

“And to make matters worse, the Joker’s unaccounted for.”

Barbara could almost feel her eyes begin to glow again. “What do you mean, unaccounted for?”

“Missing. Gone. Wayne thought he was dead, killed in the blast, but Strange said that when he found you, there was a clown in the rubble, and that the clown was alive, but that he didn’t think much beyond that.

“Look, you know the Joker better than I do, but even I know it’s not like him to be silent for this long, especially when he’s out in the open. And for him to be missing during this legislation?” Constantine ran his hands through his hair. “I’ve got a real bad feeling about this, Gordon.”

A golden shimmer suddenly appeared to the left of the kitchen table, and Barbara and Constantine watched as Stephen Strange stepped through into Barbara’s kitchen. “I’ve got bad news.”

“Great, welcome to the party!” Constantine exclaimed sarcastically.

Rolling his eyes, Strange turned to look at Barbara. “I spoke with Charles. Apparently Raven overheard some HYDRA agents talking about an Asgardian asset, so she checked the logs. Loki’s scepter is missing.”

Barbara frowned. “His scepter? From the attack on New York?”

“Did you find any information in the system about that?”

“A.L.F.R.E.D.?”

 The speakers in Barbara’s kitchen came to life. “I’m re-examining our archived information, Ms. Gordon. There is no direct reference to Loki’s scepter, or either word for that matter, in any of HYDRA’s files, but I did locate a file detailing the effects of a staff-like alien artifact.”

“What does it say?” Strange asked, walking closer to the speakers.

“Initial findings indicate that when the blade tip of the staff is placed against the subjects' hearts, the blue gem produces a blue, wisp-like energy which enters the subject’s body through their head, notably affecting their eyes, turning them a florescent blue color. This causes the affected individual to become loyal to the wielder indefinitely.”

The decanter thudded back on the table. Strange whirled around to look at Constantine, brow furrowed. Constantine shook his head. “You don’t think – “

“It has to be.”

“What? Has to be what?”

“The Mind Stone.”

Barbara stilled. “But that would mean – “

“Four Infinity Stones have been located within the last few years,” Constantine murmured out loud.

“I need to go,” Strange replied quickly, casting a portal furiously. “The sooner we get the scepter out of HYDRA’s hands, the better.”

“Tony has a file of all currently active HYDRA bases.”

“Then I will go there first. Ms. Gordon,” Stephen turned to look back at her, his portal spinning behind him, “I’m afraid we may need your help after all.”

She nodded her head. “Whatever you need.”

“Then we prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Start prepping for war, Ms. Gordon. It may be coming.” With that, Strange stepped through the portal and the golden light disappeared, leaving Constantine and Barbara alone in the kitchen.

“He’s got a flair for dramatics, that’s for sure.”

Barbara stared searchingly at Constantine. “Do you think he’s right? That war is coming?”

He sighed. “One Stone is a happy accident. Two is a coincidence. Three is a concern. But finding four? Four is a threat.”

“Look, Gordon,” Constantine leaned across the table towards Barbara, “If anyone deserves the chance to live a peaceful life, it’s you. But that thing, that Stone, didn’t choose you so you could spend your days doing your nails and pretending that your life didn’t happen. You’re meant for something greater than a normal life. And it’s not fair that it has to be you, but we have all always needed you, your strength, your courage, your goodness. And now this universe needs you. Hell, if Strange is right, the whole multiverse needs you!

“Doesn’t matter where you are, Gordon. You’ll always be a hero. And soon, they may need you to be their savior.”

Constantine pushed back from the table and stood, grabbing hold of the decanter. “Just some food for thought.” He began muttering to himself, and a fiery circle appeared around him. “I’ll see you around, Gordon.”

With that, Constantine disappeared, and Barbara was left alone with his words and her thoughts.

\--

“Barbie? Hey, Barbie, guess what, your neighbors finally moved out – something about some crazy guy breaking into their house all the time, so I’m gonna be moving in! Also, I was going to bring you the head of one of those Nazis I unalived, but Logan said it wouldn’t be sanitary – Barbara?”

Wade walked into the kitchen and saw a disheveled Barbara Gordon staring at her wall. “Babs? You okay? What’s going on?”

Barbara waved her hand. “A.L.F.R.E.D., play the recording from four hours ago.”

Wade walked over to the wall and watched as Barbara’s conversation with some random guy and Strange played. Once it ended, he walked over to the kitchen table and sat down on the chair opposite Barbara in shock. “Well, fuck.”

“He’s right.”

Wade shook his head. “I’m sorry?”

“Constantine’s right,” Barbara replied, her gaze still locked on the wall. All of the sudden she turned to face Wade, her gaze fierce. “For years, after I got my legs back, all I wanted was to be part of a team, to be a hero again. When I came here – I mean, it’s not like there’s a hero shortage, and I’m still running Oracle – but – “ She broke off, her face turning back to the wall. “This Stone – it’s part of me for a reason. And it’s my responsibility to do what I can to help.”

Barbara tucked her legs underneath and pushed herself around so she was facing Wade. “When it happened – when I touched the stone – I felt like I was burning alive. I saw all of these stars inside my mind- it was like I was seeing all of the universe. I honestly thought I was going to die. But then, all of a sudden, I heard these words in my mind. They weren’t spoken, but I just knew they were said. This voice – if you can even call it that – said “You are worthy”. And then I woke up.

“Wade, everything else this Stone has touched has turned into ash.” Barbara looked up at him, and her eyes were glowing brightly. “But I didn’t. For whatever reason, it chose me. Call it a gift or a curse, but I have a duty to this world, just like I did back home.

“I can do this,” she finally finished, nodding to herself. “If Stephen’s right, then I have to do this.”

“Well, you won’t be doing it alone.” Wade reached out and squeezed Barbara’s hand. “I’m on your team, Barbie. To infinity and beyond.”

Barbara smiled, threw herself at Wade, and wrapped her arms around him in a full-on bear hug. “I love you, Wade Wilson,” she murmured into his shoulder. “Thanks. For everything.

 “A.L.F.R.E.D., analyze the ole’ Batgear schematics. We’ve got some work to do.”

\--

“Where’s the shipment of that synthetic Vibranium?” Barbara asked between steps. Barbara and Wade had driven to an abandoned truckyard in Jersey for physical training, and she was finally starting to get winded.

“Should be delivered in four hours, Ms. Gordon.”

“Great,” she panted. “And what was the time on that mile?”

“Two minutes and forty-nine seconds.”

“How many miles so far?”

“Twenty-seven.”

“Wade, I take it back,” she hollered to Wade, who was driving a golf cart alongside her and cheering loudly via a megaphone. “This whole alien stone thing? Awesome.”

“That’s awesome, I’m so happy for you, now drop and give me three-fifty.”

“WADE – “

“FOUR HUNDRED, NOW!”

\--

“I think I’m sort of sore,” Barbara replied later as she placed orders for a flexible polymer.

“Honestly, I got sore just watching you,” Wade replied between munches of taco. “I still can’t believe you bench-pressed that semi without breaking a sweat. That stone thing? Weirdest steroid I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen a guy directly inject tiger blood into his – “

“Please, for the love of God, don’t finish that sentence.”

\--

Wade stepped into the garage just in time to see sparks fly as Barbara continued to solder – well, he wasn’t really sure what she was trying to make anymore, honestly, she was just as bad as Hank when he was on a tea high. “Hey, Barbie, I know you’re accomplishing things and stuff, but you haven’t left the garage in three days, and Mae’s left you, like, seven voicemails – “

“Wade!” Barbara turned around and pushed up her welding mask. Her red eyes were wide and slightly manic looking, and Wade sighed to himself. “I think I finally figured it out!”

“Figured out what?”

“How to connect A.L.F.R.E.D. to all seventy-nine of my Batarangs!”

“You do realize this is the start of every Terminator movie, right?”

“I solemnly swear not to exterminate humanity, Mr. Wilson,” A.L.F.R.E.D. replied dryly. “I would, however, appreciate it if you convinced Ms. Gordon to rest.”

“Jeeves, it would be my pleasure.” Walking over to Barbara, he kicked her legs out from under her, threw her over his shoulder, and carried her into the brownstone.

“Put me down! I need to get started on my suit – “

“No, you need to get some rest before you spontaneously combust into purple glitter. I’ll handle the suit.”

“But – “

“Trust me, Barbie. Have I ever steered you wrong?”

“Fruit bats, Wade. Fruit bats that are multiplying like rabbits.”

Wade dropped her onto the couch and laid a blanket on top of her. “The perfect aerial army. Honestly, Ariel, trust me. I got this.”

Barbara was already fast asleep. Smiling at his friend, Wade shut the shades in the living room, took off his own mask, and got to work.

\--

“What do you think?”

Wade turned to look at Barbara. She was beaming. Turning to face him, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly – all of her exercising was clearly paying off. His ribs, however, would take a bit of time to recover. “It’s perfect. Thank you so much.”

“Just like the wise Sonny and Cher once said, I’ve got you, babe.”

\--

“Anthony, any time you wish to talk, please do not hesitate to give me a call,” the calm voice of Charles Xavier grew as he wheeled into the conference room. Tony and Pepper followed in after him, Pepper rubbing Tony’s back comfortingly.

“I doubt – “

“We’ll be in touch, Professor,” Pepper replied firmly.

Tony just sighed in reply. Pepper shot him a look before escorting Charles out of the room.

“So, what’s the verdict Stark?” Barton asked from the sofa.

“Brainiac is going to take the Terminator to his school.”

“Well, at least that’s taken care of. Where’s Steve?”

“Moping, per usual. I tried to cheer him up by saying that at least it was just a shrink and not death by one of my AIs, but I don’t think that really helped.”

Natasha shook her head and turned to face Maria. “How’s the UN proposal doing?”

“Most countries are on board with the Avengers becoming a globally sponsored and accessible entity, but we’re waiting to hear on a few hold-outs, including the U.S. Hopefully everyone else will be able to apply enough pressure that they cave quickly, but Pepper’s team is confident that they can pull it off. Honestly, I think it’s for the best if the Avengers are separate from any new iteration of SHIELD.”

“Does Fury agree?”

“And where in the hell is he?”

“Yes, he agrees with me, and he’s on Capitol Hill, desperately trying to avoid becoming the next Secretary of Defense.”

Clint laughed out loud. “I think that’s a fight he may actually lose.”

Maria snorted. “To think, Barton could be right about something for once.”

“That’ll be the day,” Natasha muttered.

“Guys,” Steve ran into the room breathless, “Logan called. Xavier’s found Loki’s scepter.”

Natasha was instantly in secret agent mode. “Where?”

“Sokovia. Suit up, we leave in five.”

“Man,” Clint whined from the couch, “we just got back!”

“It’s only been two weeks, Barton,” Tony clapped him on the shoulder. “I’ve had benders that last longer.”

“Somehow, that doesn’t make me feel better.”

“Actually, now that I think about it, there was this one time with the contestants from India’s Got Talent – “

“Yeah, I’ll pass. Cap, wait up!” Clint hurried out of the room.

Natasha turned to look at Tony, who looked incredibly smug. “Not bad, Stark.”

He shrugged lazily. “What can I say? I’m a genius. However,” the two began jogging towards the Quinjet bay, “once we get a hold of that scepter, I vote we take a bit of a break from HYDRA-hunting.”

“Stark, that may be the best idea you’ve ever had.”

“What idea?” Clint asked, his head peaking out of the Quinjet.

Tony grabbed his suitcase suit from Pepper and climbed on board. “Taking a break after we get this scepter. The sooner I can take Pepper on a date, the better.”

“I agree, Friend Stark,” Thor boomed from his seat next to a weary-looking Bruce. “I, too, am anticipating amorous encounters with my Jane.”

Clint and Tony groaned at Thor as they climbed into the pilot and co-pilot seats. Natasha turned to watch Steve, who had been studiously avoiding looking at anyone during that brief conversation. Narrowing her eyes, she walked over towards him and sat down. “What about you, Cap? Anyone you looking forward to spending time with on our break?”

“No, Ma’am. And it’s better that way.”

Natasha narrowed her eyes even further, but Steve wouldn’t even look her way. Taking out her cell phone, she texted Darcy.

_I think Steve did something stupid._

**Seriously? What now?**

Natasha sat for a moment before texting her reply. It only took a few seconds before Darcy replied.

**Bring him back safely from wherever it is that you’re going, because I’m going to actually kill him.**

Smirking, Natasha shoved her phone into her pocket. Even if Sokovia was a bust, Darcy’s next conversation with Steve would certainly be something to look forward to.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm as surprised as you are, but this chapter FLEW by. Barbara's finally back on her business,and once she joins the party, let's just say the Avengers are never going to be the same :) Also, in case you're wondering, I'm basically completely converging from the canon at this point - meaning that I'm totally derailing the plot of Age of Ultron, and Civil War is never happening. Between Pepper and Barbara, there is absolutely no way either Tony or Steve would get to do something so stupid. Anyways, I'm super excited about where we are headed in these next few chapters, and I'm hoping to keep this intensity going. Looking forward to hearing you all, and enjoy the rest of you Sunday!


	21. I've Got Friends on the Other Side

Charles studied the two newest occupants of the room. The young man looked like he was about ready to jump out of his skin. The young woman, on the other hand, flinched anytime someone maintained eye contact for two long. They’d accompanied the team returning from Sokovia, and Charles hadn’t decided what, exactly, to do with them just yet.

“What should we do with them?”

“Our school is meant for mutants, not HYDRA weapons.”

“They need our help, Scott.”

“A speedster and a witch? We’re not capable of containing them.”

“They’re practically kids – “

“No, they’re Kurt’s age, and’s able to drink legally. I’m sorry, Jean, but they’re too old – “

“I may have a solution,” Stephen Strange cut in smoothly.

Charles raised his eyes to meet him. “Do you really think so?”

Strange nodded. “She’ll wear him down. Besides, these abilities aren’t beyond the norm for them.”

Nodding, Charles turned to face the rest of his team. “You’re all excused. Hank, if you are able, please fetch some tea for the twins.” The X-Men left the room, albeit with a bit of grumbling, and Charles turned to face Strange once the door had shut. “Contact him.”

\--

Constantine took a long drag of his cigarette. “Experimented on by a madman wielding the Mind stone, huh? I gotta say, you’ve piqued my interest. You,” he said, turning to the woman, “Wanda. What’s your thing?”

She lifted up a glowing hand. “I’m a witch,” she spoke softly.

Constantine heard Zatanna breathe in suddenly next to him, and he knew the battle was already lost. “She’s one of us, John.”

He sighed. “Zatanna – “

“I will happily train the girl, Professor,” Zatanna said, turning to face Charles. “Madame Xanadu will also be pleased. We haven’t had an apprentice in a while.”

“And the other one, Pietro? What’s your deal?”

He smirked at Constantine. “I’m fast. And Wanda’s not going anywhere without me.”

“No, I can see that,” Constantine murmured. He turned to face Strange and Xavier and smiled. “You’re in luck, gentlemen. We have just the training facility for someone with his abilities.”

Xavier exhaled sharply. “We cannot thank you enough, young man – “

Constantine held up a finger. “I just need one thing from you.”

Strange barked out a laugh. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“We’ll take them with us,” Constantine ignored him, “but then I’m sending someone else through.”

\-----

“I’m gonna get you one day, Flash! Just you wait!”

“Good luck with that, in fifteen to twenty years!” Barry waved as the Trickster snarled from inside the armored police van.

“Thanks again for the help, Flash,” the Central City police captain shook his hand. “Once again, it looks like we’re in your debt.”

“That’s what I’m here for, Captain.”

“All right. You be safe now, you hear?”

“Always.” With an exclamation of “gotta run!” Barry leapt into the Speed Force, angling back towards S.T.A.R. Labs.

“Seriously, dude, when are you gonna give up on the bad speed puns?” Luke Fox groaned through the comms.

Barry laughed as he ran. “Never!”

Luke’s groan was interrupted by the sound of an incoming call. “That’s Iris.”

“I know the drill. Talk to you in a bit, Allen.”

Barry came to a stop in one of the alleyways behind City Hall and accepted Iris’ call. “Hey honey! What’s going on?”

“Barry, oh thank god, there’s some guy here that’s asking for you, he appeared out of nowhere, he wasn’t there one minute and then there was this fire and now he’s here – “

“I’m on my way.” Leaping back into the speed force, Barry sprinted with all his might towards their apartment, arriving through the front door with a bang. “Whoever you are, you better explain why you’re here, and fast.”

“Ahh, Barry, nice of you to make it!” Constantine appeared from behind Iris. “I was just getting to know your lovely fiancée.”

“Wait, Barry, you know this guy?” Iris asked, looking between the two men.

Barry shut the door behind him, eyes never leaving Constantine. “That’s John Constantine. The Hellblazer. Normally runs in darker circles than Central City.”

“Then why is he here?”

“That’s what I’d like to know.”

“I’m here,” Constantine interrupted them with an eye roll, “because I need a favor.” He snapped his fingers, and a portal opened up, revealing Alec and a twitchy, slightly disheveled guy that was probably a year or two younger than him. “This is Pietro. He’s a speedster, and he’s not from around here. I want your team to train him, get him up to speed, so to say.”

“Not you too,” Iris groaned quietly. “Always the speed puns.”

Constantine ignored her, motioning for Alec and Pietro to step through. “Like I said, he's not from around here, so they'll need to play nice.”

“Not from around here? Where’s he from then?”

“A whole other world, Ms. West.”

Barry stiffened, and Constantine turned to smirk at him. “That’s right, Allen. He’s from another universe. Universe 517, if I’m not mistaken. I checked your hypothetical index before I came over.”

“What were you doing in another universe? Don’t you know how dangerous that is?”

At that, Constantine’s face wearied, and he sighed. “That’s the second part of my favor. In exchange for your team training Pietro, I’ll tell you something that no one, and I repeat, no one, outside of this room can know.”

“And that is?”

“The truth.”

Barry frowned, stepping closer to Iris. “The truth about what?”

“The truth of what happened to Barbara Gordon.”

For the first time since he’d been struck by lightning, every part of Barry’s body froze. Iris gasped, automatically moving back towards Barry, until she was standing directly in front of him, almost as if she was trying to physically block him from Constantine's words. “What do you mean?”

“Barbara is dead,” Barry spat. “She’s dead, and it’s my fault.”

“Wrong on both counts, Mr. Allen. She’s not dead, so it’s consequently not your fault.”

“Let’s pretend that this isn’t completely insane for just one moment. If she’s not dead, how would you know? Why would she tell you?”

“First of all, she didn’t tell me, I found her. And second of all, I’ll explain – once we’re in universe 517.”

Barry shook his head. “I don’t believe you.”

“Look, Allen, I know it’s crazy – “

“Do you have any proof?” Iris cut in, watching Constantine carefully.

“Your team spends two weeks training this speedster,” Constantine pointed to Pietro, “and in return, you spend the next two weeks in universe 517, and you’ll get all the proof that you want.”

Barry looked at Iris. “Iris – “

Iris turned to him and squeezed his arm. “You have to go, Barry. If he’s right – you have to go. She needs you.”

“But – “

“I’ll be fine, Barry. I’ll stay with my dad, he’ll be more than happy for some father-daughter time before the wedding.”

“But the team – “

“Will understand. Luke and Cisco can handle this.” Taking Barry’s face in her hands, she kissed him gently. “Go.”

Nodding, Barry turned to look at Constantine. “All right, Constantine. You’ve got yourself a deal.”

“Excellent!” Constantine actually smiled at Barry. “Pack your bags, Allen. We leave in the morning.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, surprise! I literally just wrote this in the time between posting my last chapter and now. It's more of a mini-chapter, but it sets up what's going to be coming next, and I am SO EXCITED. I hope you are too!


	22. These Boots are Made for Walkin'

“You did WHAT?”

Another crash echoed through the kitchen, and Bruce almost lost hold of his cup of subpar black coffee.

“They’re still going at it?” Tony asked, walking into the room with Pepper on his heels.

Thor nodded solemnly. “From what I can gather, the events that have occurred are not to Lady Darcy’s liking.”

“Do we know anything?”

Clint swung out of the ceiling vent connecting the kitchen to Pepper’s study, landing with a soft slap of boots against tile. “From what I can gather between shrieks – “ Darcy’s holler tore through the kitchen, momentarily pausing the conversation. The group winced in unison as the sound of another _thud!_ came from the other side of the wall. “As I was saying,” Clint started up again slowly, “Steve’s not saying much, but from what I can understand, he decided to end his relationship with the hot barista before talking to her about, you know, the whole Captain America thing.”

“Yeah, not a good call,” Tony shook his head.

Pepper reached for Bruce’s coffee and took a sip. “Tony learned that from experience.”

Clint shuddered. “Honestly, Potts, you might not be a Russian assassin, but you still terrify me."

Pepper beamed at him, all bright eyes and sunshine. “You say the sweetest things, Mr. Barton.”

Clint shuddered again, and Pepper swallowed down a laugh.

“He only has her best interests in mind though. Taking all of this on is a huge burden, and it’s not something that anyone should have to handle. Besides, what if things went sour and he hurt her? How could he live with himself is something bad were to happen? You can’t contain the beast forever, he always finds a way out!” Banner spoke worriedly, running a hand through his hair.

Tony frowned and leaned towards Pepper. “Why do I have the feeling we aren’t talking about Steve anymore?”

“He just needs to be firm,” Bruce continued, muttering to himself. “It’s what’s best for her.”

Pepper dropped her head into her hands. “You all need so much therapy.”

“And that’s why we have you,” Clint patted her arm. Pepper groaned into the marble countertop in reply.

The door to Pepper’s study swung open, and a grimacing Steve Rogers stalked into the kitchen, followed by a red-faced Darcy and an all-too-amused Natasha. “This isn’t over, Rogers!”

“You can’t possibly have more to say, Darcy!” Steve bit back.

Clint snorted out loud, earning the evil eye from Steve and a swat from Natasha. “You clearly don’t know our girl at all then.”

Bruce stood up suddenly. “Darcy, I’ve been thinking and – “

He blinked and suddenly Darcy was inches away from his face, eyes blazing. “If you even so much as THINK about saying ANYTHING remotely resembling Steve’s TERRIBLE RELATIONSHIP ADVICE, I WILL SMACK YOU SO HARD THAT THE HULK WILL SEE STARS!”

Bruce gulped, ignoring the sound of Tony and Clint snickering. “H-how about d-dinner? Tonight?”

“Way to be firm, Brucie!” Tony hollered unhelpfully.

Darcy’s face relaxed instantly. Leaning forward, she patted his cheek comfortingly. “Good boy. You can pick me up at seven.” Whirling around to face Steve, she put her hands on her hips. “See, Steve? Even Bruce knows better than to make decisions for someone else.”

“Hey – “

“It’s okay big guy, we still love you,” Darcy replied, turning back to pat him on the arm comfortingly. “You’re just a little emotionally constipated, that’s all. We’ll work on it. But that one – “ Darcy pointed to Steve accusingly – “That one needs an emotional enema!”

Steve flushed bright red as Tony and Clint began snickering uncontrollably. Darcy glared at them, and was about to raise her voice, when Thor stood up and wrapped her in his arms. “Lady Darcy, I think the Captain has received enough counseling for one day. Would you please go check on Lady Jane? She has not returned from her lab since the robot arrived, and she needs sustenance.”

Darcy exhaled deeply before nodding. “Fine.” Thor set her gently on the ground. Glaring at Steve, Darcy stuck her finger out at him, practically poking him in the chest. “This isn’t over Rogers!” Whirling on her heels, she exited the kitchen.

Clint and Tony were still giggling over Darcy’s “emotional enema” comment, and it took Natasha kicking Clint in the knee and Pepper glaring disapprovingly at Tony before they quieted down.

Thor was the first of the group to speak. “Captain, you are one of the noblest men I have ever met. It would pain me to think otherwise, should you have truly dishonored the woman you love in such a way."

Steve’s mouth dropped open in shock. “Thor, I – “

“Stark,” Thor turned his back on Steve, ignoring him. “We have spent far too much time in leisure. Sorcerer Strange is to return in a matter of hours, and the robot must be ready.”

Sighing, Tony pushed himself back from the counter. “Swedish Jesus is right. Banner, Tasha, you’re with me. The sooner we can extract the Ultron program and download JARVIS, the better.” Tony kissed Pepper on the cheek before motioning for Thor, Bruce and Natasha to follow him to the lab.

Shaking his head, Clint stood up and patted Steve on the back. “It could have been worse. At least it was Darcy and not Natasha.”

Steve’s face became pinched. “She said her part of the conversation would come later.”

Clint winced. “Well then, I’d start thinking about making a last Will and Testament if I were you. I’d hate for the government to take your stuff because you didn’t divvy it out. You know, because you’ll be dead.”

“Thanks, Clint, that’s very helpful,” Steve replied dryly.

Clint smiled widely. “Anything for a friend! Oh, and dibs on the shield.” Clapping him on the back one final time, Clint turned and left the kitchen.

Steve shut his eyes, sighing deeply. “You here to lecture me too?”

He opened them to find Pepper looking at him sadly. “That’s not my place.” She stood silently, carrying the almost empty mug of coffee in her hands. Tilting her eyes downward, she gazed at the mug for a few moments before looking at Steve once more. “We don’t know each other very well Captain. But for what it’s worth, I am disappointed. I would expect Tony to make a unilateral decision about our relationship without consulting me first – he’s done it before, and he’s stupid enough to do it again.”

Turning her back to Steve, Pepper made her way towards the penthouse elevator. “I just wouldn’t have expected it from you.” She continued to walk away, not so much as pausing to glance back. Stepping into the elevator, she pressed a button in from of her, and the doors slid shut.

The kitchen fell into silence, but the weight of the silence was nothing compared to the weight in Steve’s heart.

\--

"BARBARA!"

She jumped at the sound of Wade's holler, whacking her head into the undercarriage of her prototype Batmobile in the process. "Ow."

"Barbara - " Wade entered the room. "Oh, there you are. She's in here, Petey!"

Wincing, Barbara, rolled herself out from underneath her car. "Wait, Wade - "

"I like what you've done with the place?"

Barbara stood up with a groan, taking in Peter's dumbfounded expression. Her garage was in a disastrous state, with countless power tools and computer chips decorating all three workbenches. The latest iterations of her new Batarang prototype were laying in a pile near the door, and a large locker – containing her suit – had been haphazardly nailed to the far wall by an overly enthusiastic mercenary with a nail gun.

Peter's mouth opened and shut a few times, no sound coming out. "Uh - "

"Wade, why didn't you give me more warning?"

Wade sighed dramatically, draping himself over Peter. "I tried to tell you, Mae’s been trying to get ahold of you about Stark Coffee for FOREVER. Besides, now that baby boy and I are going steady, I can't keep this from him any longer, Red, it's been driving me crazy!"

"Wait, you're going steady? And you didn't tell me?" Barbara threw her oil-covered towel at Wade. He ducked it with a giggle.

"Surprise! Surprise for you, surprise for Petey, surprise for me!'

She chuckled, rolling her eyes. "Fine. You can tell him," - Wade began to squeal, but Barbara held up a finger - "but he _has_ to keep this a secret. Deal?"

"Deal!"

"Okay, so I don't know what's going on," Peter started.

Wade grabbed his hand, pulling him back into the house. "Wadsworth, roll the tape!"

Barbara shook her head as the two men disappeared into the house. "Go ahead, A.L.F.R.E.D. Let me know when they're done."

\--

Barbara continued to tinker underneath the hood of her car, pausing every once in a while to look at Peter. Both he and Wade had returned to the garage about twenty minutes earlier, and Peter had been silent the entire time, just watching Barbara and humming to himself every so often.

"I think I sort of understand what's happening," Peter finally spoke, "and I won't tell anyone."

Sighing in relief, Barbara leaned back from her car. "Thank you."

"I just need one thing."

Tensing in reply, Barbara felt her eyesight begin to sharpen, a sure sign that they were glowing again. "And what would that be?"

"Can you please come back to Stark Coffee? Look, I don't really know what happened, other than Steve did something, because that's literally the only thing Darcy has talked about for the last few days, but MJ's been trying to make the Java of Thunder and it's just not cutting it, and now every time Thor comes in and sees you aren't there, the static electricity in the room increases by 75%."

"Really?"

"Really, I had Gwen test it and everything!" Peter moaned. "And Aunt Mae is super busy at the satellite location, and now that we're actually inside Stark Tower, Thor is there like all the time, and Barbara I CAN'T LIVE LIKE THIS!"

Barbara turned to look at Wade. "Wade - "

"Margaritas, I'm already on it."

Wade disappeared into the house, and Barbara slammed the hood of the car shut, opting to lean against it as she watched Peter continue to moan, his head in his hands.

"And to top it all off, Mr. Stark is having a FULLY CATERED PRESS CONFERENCE OUTSIDE TOMORROW TO TALK ABOUT THE AVENGERS AND THERE IS NO WAY WE'LL BE ABLE TO MAKE THAT MANY SPECIALTY DRINKS WITHOUT YOU!"

"Shhhh, baby boy, just breathe, okay? Drink the tequila, that's it," Wade crooned, shoving the oversized frozen strawberry margarita into Peter's hands. Peter took it gratefully, downing the entire thing in one fell swoop. Wade then turned his gaze towards Barbara.

"How are you getting the eyeholes in your mask to blink like that?"

"What are you talking about?"

She sighed, massaging her forehead. "I'll do it."

Peter and Wade both began to cheer loudly.

"BUT I need a more flexible schedule."

"Anything. Honestly, Mae is so anxious to get you back she was thinking of sending a fruit basket."

"Oh, no, she did, I just gave them to the bats," Wade chimed in.

Peter jumped at the sound of Barbara's groan, looking back and forth between the two of them. "What bats?"

Barbara groaned again. Peter frowned, leaning back towards Wade. "Should she be groaning that much?"

"It's a common reaction in the face of my genius," Wade whispered. "Let's leave her be."

Taking Wade's outstretched hand, Peter walked towards the door, empty margarita class in hand. "Oh, and I'll have your uniform waiting for you tomorrow."

"Wait, what uniform?"

\--

"Oh, thank God," Barbara sighed in relief, eying up the short-sleeve red button up bowling shirt with "Stark Coffee" emblazoned in white embroidery on the back.

MJ's eyebrows raised. "What did you think it was going to be?"

"I was expecting roller skates."

"Actually, that's not a bad guess," MJ conceded. "I'm just glad to have you back, although I'm sure Paris is absolutely gorgeous this time of year."

Barbara just nodded in agreement as she buttoned up the shirt over the top of her white bustier. _At least Peter managed to get the cover story right._

"Now," MJ continued as a now-uniformed Barbara followed her to the Catering tent outside Stark Tower, "the press conference doesn't start until one, and people aren't being allowed to set-up until eleven, which means everyone will get here at around nine or so." She glanced down at her watch. "Thankfully, that leaves you with more than enough time to make the world's biggest Java of Thunder."

"Peter mentioned that," Barbara laughed. "Who knew Thor was such a fun?"

MJ's face became dark. "Believe me, we all know now."

"Oh, um," Barbara frowned, patting MJ's arm, "I'm sorry?"

MJ began to twist the clipboard in her hands. "Not as sorry as he's gonna be, that stupid, gorgeous, personification of a shampoo commercial - "

Gwen popped out from behind the supply tent. "Is she complaining about Thor again?"

Barbara nodded, watching MJ continue to mutter with a concerned look on her face. "I think so?"

Sighing, Gwen walked over and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend. "Come on, sweetie, let's go get some macarons from that French baker you like." Gwen shot Barbara a grateful smile before ushering MJ further into the Catering tent.

Barbara turned to look at Peter, who had been watching the entire conversation about Thor with a big grin on his face. "It can't be that bad, can it?"

\--

"Thor, can you please sit still?"

"NO."

"Can you at least finish your breakfast?"

"NO."

"How about a Pop Tart?" Jane waved the pastry in front of his face. "I got you the Funfetti ones! They're your favorite."

Thor punched the Pop Tart out of her hand.

Jane whirled around to face Darcy, glaring at her. "You know, you could be helping."

Darcy just laughed and continued to snap pictures. "And miss the opportunity to Instagram Thor in his curlers? Yeah, not a chance."

Jane looked up at the ceiling and groaned as the door slid open and Tony, Pepper and Clint made their way into the Green Room. "What did I do to deserve this?"

"It is the Captain's fault, Lady Jane," Thor grumbled.

Tony frowned, turning to look at Pepper. "Normally I'm all for blaming my personal issues on somebody else, but just so we're all clear, what's Steve's fault?"

"Captain has dishonored the Lady of the Sacred Fruit, and she has become lost, taking the Wine of the Gods with her!" Thor hollered, slamming his hand down on the makeup counter and splintering it..

Clint tapped Darcy on the shoulder. "Please tell me you got that on video."

"Pfft, obviously."

"Look, Thor, buddy, I get it, we're all upset that Rogers is a dumbass - "

"Tony – “

"But you're not the only one suffering here! Who is going to create innovative drinks for my brand now?"

Pepper groaned, watching as her bangs started to stand up on their ends. "That's not really helping.”

"Well, what do you want me to do?"

Jane pointed angrily at the door. "Get Steve to fix it!"

"And do what?"

"Literally whatever it takes, cry, beg, marry her, just get this madness to end!" Jane leapt at Tony, pulling desperately at his collar. "I can't live like this anymore!"

The door suddenly slid open, and Peter Parker stepped into the room. "Thanks again for the green light, Coulson."

"That's Deputy Director Coulson now, Mr. Parker. And it's my pleasure," Phil's voice rang from the outside.

"Great," Peter smiled. "Okay Babs, bring it this way!"

A tinny horn honked and suddenly a golf cart was entering the room backwards. Thor perked up at the sound and began sniffing the air.

"Is that - "

"Dear God, I hope so - "

"Honestly, Parker, I still can't believe we fit the golf cart in the elevator," a familiar voice laughed. Barbara stepped out from behind the driver's seat. "Special delivery for a Thor, God of Thunder?"

Jane sagged in relief as Thor charged towards Barbara. "Lady Barbara!" He cried, picking her up and swinging her around in his arms. "I am glad to see that you are well! We have missed you dearly, and the Wine of the Gods which you are so frequently able to procure!"

"Yep – good – to see you – too – Thor - " Barbara wheezed.

"Thor, put down my barista before you break her!" Tony hollered, cupping his hands around his mouth.

Blushing, Thor set her back on the ground. "Apologies, my lady. It is just that your craftmanship is far superior than any other mortal brew I have had the pleasure of sampling."

"That's so sweet of you to say," Barbara smiled back at him. "I made you an extra-large serving - " Thor squealed - "but you need to make sure you have some food first. That's a lot of caffeine."

Jane stepped from out behind Thor and gulped. "How much caffeine?"

Barbara leaned towards her and winked conspiratorially. "Mostly decaf."

Jane sighed in relief again, and Thor picked up the barrel of Java of Thunder and walked back towards his dressing room chair, humming happily to himself. "Thank you," Jane mouthed to Barbara.

"Don't mention it," Barbara whispered back. "Good luck with the press conference today!" She said to the rest of the room, before turning to look at Peter. "Let's go. We've got some reporters to caffeinate."

Peter beamed, sweeping into a bow. "After you, Lady of the Sacred Fruit."

\--

Steve watched as Pepper fussed with Tony's tie for the ninth tie. Shaking his head, he turned to look at the crowd of press standing outside, waiting for the conference to start.

"I don't know if I can do this," Steve muttered, looking outside the window.

"You've dealt with the press before," Natasha replied, disinterestedly staring out at the crowd.

"Never like this." _And not with her here._

As if hearing his thoughts, Natasha turned to look at him. "It's not too late, you know. You can still make things right."

"I can," he nodded in agreement, "but I don't know if I should."

"Don't you think she should have a say?"

"I can't - " Steve cut off, a muscle in his jaw clenching. "I won't risk someone I care about getting hurt again because of me. They always do."

Natasha shook her head. "Until they don't. Someone always comes along and breaks the cycle, Steve. But nobody will if you don't let anyone try."

Sharon entered the room and made her way over to Steve. Natasha shook her head and walked away, taking up her position next to Clint.

"Okay team," Stark interrupted, clapping his hands. "It's go time. Avengers, assemble!"

\--

Barbara wiped the sweat off her brow with a sigh. The largest rush had been right at the start of set-up, but the line of people wanting coffee had steadily declined as the clock moved closer and closer towards one. Barbara took a sip of her Spidey Sense and watched as the Avengers exited Stark Tower. All at once the reporters and cameramen seemed to crush towards the Tower, fighting to get a clearer shot of the group.

The large screens on either side of the makeshift stage flickered to life, and Barbara watched as they glued themselves to the Avengers. She flinched when they landed on Steve, and the blonde woman – who A.L.F.R.E.D. identified as Sharon Carter – who had her arm comfortingly wrapped around his. The camera continued on, and Barbara relaxed slightly.

Pepper was the first to move towards the podium, and the noise in the crowd quieted down as she moved the microphone towards her mouth. "Good afternoon. For those of you who do not know me, I am Pepper Potts, CEO of Stark Industries. Less than three weeks ago, the very foundations of our civilized world changed. I am here today to reassure you that good can come from bad, and that these people standing here with me, this team, is a true force for good. It may be hard to believe, in the face of a world that is no longer one that we recognize as our own, but it will be our own once again."

Pepper's voice faded from Barbara's mind as a new voice echoed throughout her head, of a dark time in a world far, far away.

_"Mr. Dent, what do you say to those who believe that this marks the end of justice in Gotham?"_

_“To those who would doubt our resolve, in the face of the evil that we have seen over the past few months, I say this: that the night is darkest just before the dawn. I promise you, the dawn is coming.”_

" - Mr. Stark."

Tony stepped forward and eyed the crowd with a smug smile. "I could list out our individual achievements, but I think the events from the so-called "Battle for New York" speak for themselves, don't you?"

The crowd laughed quietly, and Tony's smirk turned into a full-on smile. "However, just in case you need a reminder, I've prepared a bit of a sales pitch."

Tony's voice faded, and this time it was not a stranger’s voice she heard speaking, but that of a friend.

_“The future’s fate is in our hands. Ladies and gentlemen, that is a responsibility we must not take lightly. Therefore today I propose a bold new solution for peace; a force more powerful than any that have come before, a force dedicated to the good of mankind; a force I call the Justice League.”_

"Now, we aren't angling to take over international peace-keeping and security operations, although we're more than happy to discuss it," Tony's voice broke in, "but you can be sure that when danger happens, danger the likes many of our grandparents did not live to see, we will be there, and we will end it."

Barbara was  forced back into her memory for a third time. This time, it wasn't an inspiring or heroic speech. It was her father, crying as he held her hand outside of the Palmer Tech gathering.

_"Sweetheart, I am so proud of you," he cried, gripping onto her hand tightly, "but I'm so afraid."_

_"Dad, don't," she shook her head, "the technology works - "_

_"That's not it," he interrupted her. Sighing, he looked up in the sky. "I knew that staying in the force meant I'd be placing you in danger. But I believed in the heroes. That even if I wasn't there, someone else would be. Someone else would be watching over you, keeping you safe. But I was wrong. And I thought that after it happened, if you just stayed within my sight, you’d be safe. But if you’re going to be out in the world again -_

_"Heroes won't always be around. And I won't be either. You have to promise me something, okay?"_

_Barbara shook her head. "Anything."_

_"Believe in the goodness in other people, but don't count on them to save you. You have to save yourself."_

Barbara shook her head, dispelling the memory from her mind.

"You okay?" Peter asked quietly, watching as the crowd began to applaud and then push forward to ask questions.

"I'm fine," she replied, watching the reporters bustle with old eyes. "I've just heard this sort of thing before."

"And?"

"It doesn't end well." Barbara's eyes found the stage, a beaming Tony Stark, the polished Avengers. "We aren't in the business of miracles, Peter. It's wrong to say that."

"What are we, then?"

"Believers. Believers that can only do their best."

Peter was silent. "I can't argue with that."

A sudden gust of wind whipped through the crowd, shuffling cue cards and upsetting several camera stands. The reporters on the ground began barking out orders, and soon the entire plaza in front of Stark Tower was in motion as cameras were reset, On-Air personalities were checked for last minute flyways, and the Avengers were fussed over by the make-up department kept on standby.

The gust ruffled Barbara's updo, and she batted at the few wispy tendrils. "That almost felt like - " She shut her eyes. "Nope. Not today."

_Barbara_. She heard her name carried on the wind. It sounded just like Barry's voice.

"Okay, now I'm losing it," Barbara muttered to herself.

"Barbara!"

There was no mistaking it. It was Barry's voice.

"Barbara!"

She looked up and froze.

Standing two blocks away, clad in a pair of brand new jeans and a CCPD bomber jacket, Barry Allen was yelling at her.

"BARBARA!"

The four freestanding blenders were knocked over as Barbara leapt forward, charging through the reporters unlucky enough to be standing in front of the catering tent.

"Barbara, where are you - "

"Ow!"

"Hey, watch it - "

" - have Stark's head if you rip out that cord - "

" - ma'am, please - "

She shoved through the crowd, eyes glued on Barry. Barry, who had already sprinted down the two blocks and past the security watching the perimeter of the Stark Tower plaza.

With one final push, Barbara burst through the crowd of reporters. "Barry!"

He sped up, and with a giant step Barbara leapt straight into his arms. He wrapped them around her hard and swung her in a circle, her legs wrapping themselves around his.

"Barbara," he sobbed into her shoulder, holding onto her with an iron grasp. "Barbara - "

"I'm here," she whispered into his ear, willing herself not to cry, not here, not now.

He hugged her tightly for a few more seconds before setting her back on the ground, hands still firmly clasped on her shoulders. "I – I just can't believe it," he exclaimed, tears streaming down his face. "You're here!"

"I'm here," Barbara grinned brightly. She moved forward, wiping the tears off his face.

"You're alive!"

She nodded and laughed. "I'm alive."

"Your eyes are purple – wait, your eyes are purple. Why are your eyes purple?" Barry pulled her closer to him, getting right up in his face.

"I'll tell you later, okay?" She whispered loudly, watching the crowd of reporters eye the pair.

"Yeah, all right, okay." Laughing in disbelief, Barry pulled her back in for another hug and kissed her on the forehead. "I'm just so glad – never do that again, okay?"

Barbara nodded into his chest and hugged him back. "Deal."

"So," he broke the silence a few moments later. "You just can’t avoid trouble, can you?"

Reality suddenly came crashing back, and Barbara could almost feel eyes from the Avengers platform digging into her back. "It’s a gift, I guess.” Looking up at him, she tilted her head.

"Well," Tony Stark's voice cut through the shocked silence, "as exciting as that was, let's finish up this press conference, shall we?"

Grabbing hold of Barry's sleeve, Barbara dragged him towards the Catering tent. "What are you doing here?" She whispered, ignoring the dirty looks shot by the ruffled reporters.

"I'll explain later," he replied, eyes glued to her back.

"Excuse me, ma'am, unauthorized personnel are not allowed entry to this event." Barbara turned around and found herself face to face with Happy Hogan.

"Mr. Hogan! It's good to see you!"

His smile was forced. "That doesn't change the situation, Ms. Allen."

She felt Barry stiffen beside her. "This is my cousin, Barry. He just got back home from overseas, and - "

Happy's face cleared up instantly. "Oh, a veteran? Well, then, thank you for your service, Mr. - "

"Gordon," Barry supplied without hesitating. "Barry Gordon."

"Yes, thank you, Mr. Gordon. However, that doesn't change the fact that unauthorized personnel aren't welcome here at this time - "

"He cleared it with me, Mr. Hogan," Peter spoke up, walking out of the Catering tent. "Barry, good to see you again. Hope you're ready to work the espresso machine."

Barry stuck out his hand, smiling in relief at Peter. "Hey, you too. Thanks again for all your help with the surprise. Sorry if the timing was a bit off - "

"Are you kidding?" Peter waved it away. "Mr. Stark loves this sort of stuff. Keeps things interesting." Peter turned to look expectantly at Happy. "Can we get Barry a Catering pass?"

"Of course, Mr. Parker," Happy spoke between gritted teeth. Turning on his heel, they could hear him mutter to himself as he walked back towards the Security Tent. "Catering pass, my behind - "

"Friend from back home?" Peter murmured, looking back at Barry.

"Way back home," Barbara supplied. "Best friend, actually."

Smiling, Barry wrapped his arms back around Barbara. "I'm just so happy you're okay."

"Great! And now you can be happy making coffee drinks until your hands fall off," Peter replied, pulling the pair towards the coffee tent.

\--

Natasha could practically sense the moment Steve's muscles tensed up. He'd been staring vacantly at the crowd for most of the press conference, but the moment he saw Barbara, he couldn't _stop_ seeing her.

"Secretary Fury will take the remainder of your questions. And yes, we will be attending the U.N. Summit two weeks from now. Until then, take care, and get your Avengers specialty drinks from Stark Coffee!" Tony dropped the mike and motioned for the group to follow him off the stage.

Steve didn't need to be told twice. He'd let go of Sharon's arm and disappeared into Stark Tower without a second thought.

Tony leaned over to Natasha as the entered the Tower. "Any idea what that whole reunion was about?"

She shook her head. "None whatsoever."

"Great. Lewis?"

Darcy peaked her head from behind Thor. "Yes?"

"Care to do some spying?"

"Is my name Darcy?"

\--

"It's a good thing you showed up, Gordon," MJ remarked as she wiped down the coffee canister. "We normally never get through business that fast."

Barry just winked at Barbara, causing her to roll her eyes in reply. "One of the perks of being a speedster."

"Whatever it is, we could use it for the next press conference."

"I'll do my best to be there, Ma'am," Barry replied with his most winning smile.

Shaking her head, Barbara turned back around, only to find herself face to face with a stone-faced Darcy Lewis. "Hi – Darcy?"

Thor pushed past her. "Three of your largest Javas of Thunder, Lady Barbara!"

"Right away, Thor. Darcy, what about you?"

"Who's the guy?"

Barbara blinked at her. "Um - "

Darcy pointed at Barry. "That guy!"

"Oh, that's Barry! One of my best friends from back home. He just got back from serving overseas. I wasn't expecting him, and honestly, I didn't know if – " Barbara teared up again. Shaking her head, she motioned for Barry to walk over. "Barry, this is Darcy Lewis, and this is Thor, the God of Thunder."

Thor extended his hand. "It is a great honor to meet a fellow warrior, Lord Barry."

Barry's eyebrows wrinkled, but he shook Thor's hand all the same. "Right back at you, God of Thunder."

"You're not together then?" Darcy asked, eyes flickering back and forth between Barbara and Barry.

"Are you kidding? No, no way, he's like a brother to me. Besides, he's been engaged to his childhood sweetheart for almost a year now."

"Her name is Iris," Barry gushed. Reaching into his pocket, he grabbed his phone. "Want to see?"

Darcy and Thor ahh'ed as he flipped through the pictures. "Your betrothed is a lovely maiden, Lord Barry!"

"Yeah, what Thor said!" Darcy looked over at Barbara and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I just wanted to - "

"No, I get it," Barbara cut her off. "I wouldn't - "

"Oh, I know, but men - " Darcy waved her hand around.

Barbara nodded. "Trust me, I get it."

Darcy smiled and looked at Barbara, falling silent. Barbara smiled back, although her smile felt a little forced. All of the sudden, Darcy slammed her hand down on the counter. "We're getting drinks this weekend."

"Okay, that sounds good - "

"Just us girls. We've got a lot to discuss." Grabbing hold of Thor's bicep – which was as big as her head – Darcy pulled Thor (and his three coffees) away from the booth. "I'll call you!"

Barbara waved as Barry sidled back up to her. "What just happened?"

"I'm not totally sure," Barbara squeezed out between her teeth as she smiled back at them, "but I have some suspicions." She turned to face him and sighed. "Honestly, Barry, I'm just so happy you're here."

"That makes two of us."

With a smile, she wrapped her arm around his. "Let's go. We've got a lot of catching up to do.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on a roll this week, honestly. It only took me, like, three hours to write this, and it's 5500 words, which is completely insane! Anyways, Happy Fourth to my fellow Americans, and Happy 100th Birthday to my favorite star spangled man with a plan <3 Let me know your thoughts about Barry's introduction here - too long? Too short? Just right? IT'S GETTING SO GOOD GUYS, BIG STUFF IS COMING! Much love, Clara


	23. You Can Count on Me

"It's only been three months," he replied, dumbfounded. Barry’s eyes were as big as saucers, and had only gotten bigger the more Barbara told him about her time in “Universe 517”.

"Yep!" She replied, popping the "p" sound between her lips.

He shook his head. "It would only happen to you."

Snorting, Barbara set her wine glass down on the table. "Tell me about it."

"Yeah," Wade piped up from his spot between Barbara and Barry. "Tell her about it."

Wade had arrived a mere matter of seconds after Barbara and Barry had returned to her brownstone, and while he was initially defensive as to who actually held the title of "Barbara Gordon's Best Friend", he eventually accepted sharing the title with Barry once Barry ran to Mexico and returned with authentic chimichangas for dinner. Peter had arrived shortly thereafter, and the couple was now watching Barry and Barbara reconnect with avid interest.

Barry exhaled in a loud whoosh, running his hands through his now wildly wavy hair. "Sorry, I'm just having a hard time wrapping my head around all of this."

"Believe me, I get it. It's a lot to take in."

Dropping his hands back onto the table, Barry shook his head a few times before finally resting his gaze on Barbara once again. "I'm just glad you're okay. Well, 'okay' might be a relative term here, but - "

Barbara cut him off with a quiet laugh. "Don't worry, Barr, I get it."

He nodded once before reaching for her hand. "It's – these last few months have been really hard. Everyone's hurting.

"Especially your dad."

Barbara froze, her muscles turning into dead weight. "I can't even imagine," she murmured, bidding herself not to cry, not to think about him back in Gotham, all alone -

"Why don't you have Constantine bring him over? Why haven't you told him?"

"It's not safe, Barry."

He shook his head, leaning back from the table. "Isn't that why you're angry at that Steve? Because he made a decision about your safety without consulting you?"

Barbara pushed herself back from the table and stood, stalking over to the open bottle of wine and pouring herself a refill. "Of course, that's why I'm angry but - "

"Then isn't it a little hypocritical of you - "

Growling, Barbara slammed the wine bottle back down on the counter, shattering the glass on impact. "I get it!"

Barry paused for a moment. "I'm sorry?"

"Look - " Barbara whirled back around to face him, her eyes glowing purple again. "Of course, I'm angry that Steve did this. Of course, I wish that Steve had given me the chance to explain. But as far as he knows I'm just some innocent twenty-something who's way out of her league and completely incapable of defending myself. I mean, look at what he's been through!" She began gesturing wildly, the broken shard of the bottle handle in her hand.

Wade carefully set Peter down on the chair and snuck behind Barbara, easing the glass shard out of her hand as she continued to gesticulate.

"Given his entire history since the serum, it makes complete sense that he would react like that! Besides, what are the odds that I would turn out to be – well, who I am? I don't agree with it, but he's doing what he's doing to keep me safe. Just like I'm not telling him or any of the Avengers the truth, to keep them safe!

"And that's why I can't tell dad yet, either," she finished, her voice lowering until it was at a normal volume register. "Because if someone in Gotham found out – if the Joker found out – there's nothing he wouldn't do to control me. And I won't let myself be the reason my dad gets hurt. Not again."

Wade handed her a towel silently, and she wiped the spilled merlot on it. "Sorry about that," she murmured, handing the towel back to Wade.

"No worries, Danger-prone Daphne, that's what I'm here for! Well, that and to make sure none of your food ever goes bad."

Barbara snorted at Wade before raising her eyes back to Barry. "I'm sorry, but I just can't. Not yet. It’s not the right time."

Barry slumped forward in his chair. "I get it. I don't like it, but I get it. And to be honest, if it was Iris and I - " Barry shook his head solemnly. "Well, I'd probably do the same."

Exhaling slowly, Barbara walked over to Barry, pulled him to his feet, and wrapped her arms around him in a giant hug. "I'm just glad you're here."

"Yeah, me too," Peter piped up between bites of leftover chimichanga. "Especially if you keep bringing snacks like this!"

That made Barry shake with laughter in Barbara's arms. "Yeah, well, I need to eat about ten-thousand calories a day, so I'm sure there'll be more where that came from!"

"Really? Me too!" Peter exclaimed, taking another bite of the food. "And Barbara!"

Barry's brow furrowed as he looked down with her. "Really? Does this have to do with the Stone?"

Barbara shrugged. "It definitely effects how much I need to eat, but there's no clear relationship yet."

"Hmmmm," Barry hummed, stepping back and taking a look at her. "We should try to run some tests. If you give me access to a computer, I can probably recreate those stress tests Luke and Cisco first ran on me back when I got my speed."

At that Barbara beamed. "I can do you one better. A.L.F.R.E.D.," she turned to face the wall, "I think it's time you introduce yourself."

\---

"You know, it really says something about your life when creating a fully-functional AI is the least interesting thing that's happened to you recently," Barry remarked as he and Barbara made their way towards Stark Tower the next day.

Barbara laughed brightly. "I know, right? Honestly, though, I don't know where I'd be without A.L.F.R.E.D. He was my only connection to back home for a really long time. He saw me through."

"For which we are all super grateful," Barry replied, leaning into Barbara so his audio would be picked up by Barbara's earrings.

_It was my pleasure, Mr. Allen_ , A.L.F.R.E.D. wordlessly messaged on Barbara's smartwatch.

Grinning, Barbara showed Barry the message as they walked into Stark Tower. As soon as they crossed the threshold into the Tower they were stopped by Happy Hogan, flanked by two tall men in suits working security.

"Excuse me, but you're not allowed beyond this point without clearance - " Happy started to speak.

"Barbara! Barry!" She heard Peter yell. He peeked his hand out from around the corner of the newly-installed Stark Coffee café. "Thanks Happy, but they're with me!"

Happy smiled another forced smile at the pair before allowing them to pass by, muttering under his breath all the while about that Parker kid.

"Sorry again that it's such short notice," Peter apologized. "I know we weren't going to have you come in until next Monday - "

"No worries, Peter, I'm happy to help!" Barbara smiled at him reassuringly before ducking into the back room.

"And I'm happy that she's happy to help!" Barry cut in. "Besides," he began to survey the café in a slow circle, "I wanted to check out the Tower anyways."

"Well, I'm not sure if my coffee credentials will be able to get you past the café, but odds are you'll at least see some interesting people."

Barbara emerged from the storeroom, once again clad in a Stark Coffee bowling shirt. "Really? Why do you say that?"

"Because Thor's walked by with an entourage at least four times this morning. Apparently someone, and I'm not saying who, let it slip that you were working today - "

"It was you, wasn't it?"

Peter shrunk under Barbara's quirked eyebrow. "Okay, yes, but in my defense - "

Shaking her head, Barbara began to laugh. "I'm teasing, Peter. It's all good."

Barry pushed himself onto the counter near the cash register and watched as the blonde god made his way into the room, followed by Darcy and some people he didn't recognize. "Speak of the devil - "

"No, actually, that would be Thor's brother." Barry, good to see you again!" Darcy exclaimed loudly – almost too loudly. At the sight of Thor and company, Peter dashed into the back room. He was still feeling a little tetchy about Thor's coffee intake. At least, that's what he'd told Barbara last night when he recapped the entire Java of Thunder debacle for Barry.

"Ahh, yes, Warrior Gordon!" Thor grabbed his now outstretched hand and squeezed so tightly, Barry forgot that it wasn't Clark standing in front of him for a minute. "I am pleased to see that you are enjoying a respite from battle."

"Thanks, I think," Barry finished quietly before resetting his face into that wide smile. "Hey, Thor, if you don't mind me asking, I was wondering; you can control lightning, right?"

Barbara popped her head out from behind the espresso machine and glared at him. "Barry - "

"What?" He shrugged innocently. "I'm just curious. As a scientist, of course."

Rolling her eyes, Barbara started up the espresso machine. "Scientist, my ass," she muttered under my breath.

"I'm sorry, were you saying something, dear?" Barry called back. All he got in reply was an incoherent grumble.

"Do not fret, Lady of the Sacred Fruit!" Thor addressed Barbara. Shifting his gaze onto Barry, he nodded with a smile. "It is true. Mjolnir is capable of many incredible feats. Summoning the energy of the gods is one of them.”

"Huh," Barry murmured out loud. "Interesting. Do you have to call it down repeatedly, or is it more like an independently regenerating electric force?"

Thor's brow furrowed. "I'm not sure what you mean by that, Warrior Gordon - "

The brunette in the lab coat peeked her head out. "Do you mean an infinitely self-generating kinetic energy source?"

"Exactly!"

She shook her head and stepped from out behind Thor. "Jane Foster, astrophysicist," she spoke in way of introduction. "Mjolnir appears to operate more magnetically. It doesn't generate the lightning on its own."

"Hi, sorry, Bruce Banner," a mild-manner man with curly dark hair also moved from behind Thor and joined the conversation. "An energy source capable of perpetual self-regeneration in that manner is impossible.”

Barry grinned to himself.  "Tell me, have you read any research on particle acceleration theory?"

Darcy turned to look at Thor. "Any idea what they're talking about?"

Thor shrugged. "I'm afraid not."

Shaking her head, Darcy grabbed hold of Thor and maneuvered him over towards Barbara. "Thor'll have his usual, and I want the biggest, blackest cup of coffee you can possibly give me. Seriously, just inject it into my veins.

"Oh, and by the way, I think your friend-who-is-a-boy might be stuck for a while."

"First of all," Barbara handed an oversized Java of Thunder to Thor, who squealed happily and began to sip almost immediately, "injecting coffee directly into your bloodstream is strictly forbidden by Stark Coffee. And what happened to Barry?"

Darcy waved her hand. "He's talking about some scientific mumbo-jumbo with Jane and Bruce."

"What - "

" - never heard of anything called a speed force - "

Groaning, Barbara stepped out from behind the espresso machine and glared at the back of Barry's neck. "Really, Barry?"

Turning, he shrugged at her, an all-too-innocent expression on his face. "What?" Breaking face for just a moment, he winked at her before turning back to his captive audience.

"No, don't interrupt them," Darcy pulled Barbara back with a loud whisper. "This is the first time I've gotten Jane out of the lab in days."

"Really? Did she have a breakthrough or something?"

"Or something," Darcy muttered. Then, before Barbara could question her about it, she handed her a list. "Do you mind whipping these up for me? They all have a meeting in a couple of minutes, and I'd figure it'd be easier if I just grabbed them all instead of the whole group traipsing down here – "

"Now, now, Darcy," a new voice interrupted. Tony strode into the room, flanked by Clint, Natasha, and a stone-faced Steve. Barbara's heart stopped in her chest for a moment as her eyes ran him over, but he completely ignored her. "You know how much I love to traipse. Don't take this from me."

Darcy groaned loudly. "That's what I'm worried about."

Tony ignored her, opting instead to walk right up to Barry and look him up and down. "You're the one that crashed the press conference. Gotta say, kid, you got a flair for the dramatics."

"You would know, Stark," Natasha smirked.

He leaned closer to Barry. "Ignore her. Tony Stark."

"Barry Gordon. Nice to meet you, Mr. Stark."

"Happy told me you served overseas?"

Barry nodded, shaking Tony's outstretched hand. "Yep. Just got back a few days ago."

Tony hummed, stepping back to appraise Barry further. His brows furrowed. "What branch of military?"

"Army. Special ops," Barry replied without hesitating.

"Really," Tony replied drily.

"Yes sir. Geospatial engineering."

"Guy has some interesting theories about particle acceleration theory," Bruce offered.

Tony pointed at Bruce, looking at Barry all the while. "Now _that_ is interesting - "

"And not the time for this discussion," Natasha cut in. Turning to address Barry, she smiled at him, a slow, predatory smile. "Thank you for your service - "

_Think, Allen, think -_ "Corporal Gordon."

"Corporal."

Clint stepped forward. "Great, so is it my turn to ask questions now, or - "

Natasha yanked both Tony and Clint towards the counter before they could say another word, leaving just Bruce and Jane standing between Barry and Steve, the latter of whom was looking at Barry with a slightly pained expression.

Bruce coughed. "Right, well, I'm just going to go stand over there. Which is not here. It's there." Bruce hurried over towards Darcy and Thor, who were actively trying to distract Barbara's attention away from Barry.

"Men, honestly," Jane muttered before following after him.

Taking a step forward, Barry studied the man in front of him. He was probably a bit taller than Bruce, with sandy blonde hair and a muscular build that would put the Bat himself to shame. However, there was no trace of any of Bruce's emotional walls. Instead, his eyes were quite open with hurt as his gaze flickered from Barbara back to Barry.

"Barry Gordon. It's an honor to meet you, Captain."

Steve nodded stiffly before reaching out and shaking Barry's hand. "Steve Rogers. Pleasure." He stared at Barry throughout the entire introduction and gripped his hand so tightly that Barry was sure it would actually bruise.

"No, really, it's great to meet you," Barry breezed on, ignoring his sudden desire to throttle Captain America. "Barbara's told me a lot about you!"

At that Steve's expression became outwardly pained. "She has?"

"Yep! You know, I was worried about her moving out here." Barry motioned to her, watching as Steve's eyes shifted towards her. "She's a really great girl, and she makes friends easily, but she doesn't really let people in all that often."

Steve's face turned an interesting shade of red. "I - "

"And I'm certain you're busy nowadays with all that Captain America stuff, but I'm just glad that she can count on you." Stepping forward, Barry brought his hand down on Steve's shoulder in a light pat. However, when Steve turned to meet his gaze, there was no light in Barry’s eyes. "I'd hate for someone to hurt her."

Flushed, Steve stepped away from Barry, not breaking eye contact. "Corporal." With a quick nod, Steve pivoted on his heel and fled the room.

Clint turned to look at Natasha and Tony, who had been watching the conversation from behind Thor's back with undisguised interest. "Well, that happened."

"Did you see that guilt trip? Has he been learning from Pepper?" Tony asked incredulously.

Natasha's phone beeped. Pulling it out of her pocket, she turned to address the rest of the group. "Hill's here. Let's move out."

"Great! Be ready at seven!" Darcy exclaimed, pointing at Barbara. Motioning for Jane, the two women all but dragged Thor away from the espresso counter, and Barry greeted them all as they exited Stark Coffee. The last of the group had just left the café when Barry felt a tapping on his shoulder. Turning around, he came face to face with a flushed Barbara Gordon.

"Barry, what in the hell were you thinking?!”

"Breathe, Babs, it's all good." Barry rested his hands on her shoulders. "I just talked science with Dr. Foster and Bruce – whoever that is – and got to know the others a bit better."

"But - "

"Relax."

"But - "

"Barbara."

"But - "

"BARBARA. It's fine. Stop worrying." Giving her a quick hug, he maneuvered her behind the counter. "How about come up with some new specialty drinks? I had a few ideas on our walk over here this morning.”

Grumbling, Barbara reached for a pad of paper, pointing at Barry with her pen. "This conversation isn't over."

"Whatever you say, little G. Now, hear me out: I call it 'The Flash'."

\--

The meeting had been a disaster. Not because anything bad had happened, per se, but because Steve couldn't remember a single thing that had happened afterwards. All he could think about was seeing Barbara smiling, seeing Barbara talking with Thor and Clint, and his conversation with that guy Barry.

_I'm certain you're busy nowadays with all that Captain America stuff, but I'm just glad that she can count on you._

_I'd hate for someone to hurt her._

"Rogers?"

Sighing, he looked up and saw Tony looking at him, a strange look on his face. The rest of the conference room had emptied out, leaving just the two men. "You doing all right?"

 "I'm fine, thanks," he replied with a detached voice. Standing to his feet, he walked passed Tony, not noticing Tony’s now outwardly concerned expression.

Making his way towards the executive floor, he walked into Pepper's open office and cleared his throat. "Excuse me, Ms. Potts?"

Pepper glanced up momentarily from her laptop and smiled at him, fingers continuing to fly across the keyboard. "Please, Steve, you can call me Pepper."

"Look, I - " Steve cleared his throat. "I know this isn't a great time, but you said to come to you if there was ever something I needed, and I was just wondering - do you know where I could find some painting supplies?"

The typing stopped. Pepper looked back up at him, this time giving him her full attention. "Painting supplies?"

Steve pulled on his shirt nervously, looking at the buttons on the wrist of his dress shirt. "Yeah, I guess – well – it just helps me think, that's all. And – I've just got a lot to think about right now."

Something in Pepper's brow softened, and when she smiled at him, it felt soft as well. "I'll place an order for delivery this evening."

Steve began to protest. "No, really, I can - "

"Steve, it's fine. I'd be more than happy to order this for you."

"Are you sure? If it's not a good time - "

"I'm sure."

Nodding, Steve headed towards the door. He stopped once, turning back to face Pepper. "You'd tell me if it wasn't, right?"

"Well, no, but that's what friends are for. We help them when they need it, not when it's convenient. But honestly, Steve, this is easy. I promise."

He finally smiled at her before his eyes dropped to the ground. "Thanks, Pepper." Turning back towards the door, he made his way silently out of the room.

Pepper watched him go, concern now etched into her brow. "Keep an eye on him for me, FRIDAY."

"Of course, Ms. Potts."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I'm not, like, amazingly pleased with this chapter, but it has a lot of glue in it that's going to help moving Barbara towards integration with the Avengers in the future. And I'm going to be super honest here, I really just want to get back to her relationship with Steve, and for her to be able to fully develop relationships with the other Avengers. I feel like I'm tempted to just sort of dally with Barbara and Barry, but as much as I love Barry, he's not as central to this story as Barbara's relationships with the other characters (comparatively, at least). Anyways, let me know what you think/if you think the characterization is okay, and get ready, because I'm hoping to publish the big reveal in the next set of chapters!
> 
> (Also, in case you were wondering, I spent most of Monday writing ten thousands words of a yet unpublished Hobbit fic. I swear, my plot bunnies are Catholic, and they are being fruitful and multiplying, let me tell you.)
> 
> Much love!


	24. Savior

The bar was dimly lit, overly crowded, covered in multi-colored twinkle lights, and smelled like a mixture between cigarettes and nacho cheese.

Dinah and Kara would have loved it.

As it was, Barbara was sitting off in a corner with Darcy and Jane, who had just arrived moments earlier. Barry had insisted on escorting Barbara to the bar – and by escorting, he meant carrying while he ran – and so she'd opted to wear a pair of skinny jeans, short black boots, and a flowy black tank top which revealed both her lithe figure and bat necklace. Jane was dressed relatively conservatively, in a fitted black dress with short, chunky black heels. Darcy, on the other hand, was wearing a bright red bodycon dress which left nothing to the imagination.

"Why didn't you wear that on your date with Bruce?" Jane yelled over the loud music.

"Are you kidding? And send him into a coma? No, Bruce has to build up his tolerance to the girls before he can see me in this dress," Darcy replied as she motioned for the waiter to come over. "Three of your biggest and most frozen margaritas, please!"

"You went out with Bruce? Congratulations! How was it?" Barbara asked, leaning towards them across the table.

Darcy sighed, slumping into Jane. "Wonderful. He brought me flowers and everything. In fact, he was a perfect gentleman."

"Oh, that's nice," Jane cooed.

"Are you kidding? It was terrible! He didn't even try to touch my boobs once!"

Barbara inhaled her water at Darcy's exhortation, causing her to cough loudly. Gasping, Jane leaned across the table. "Oh my gosh, are you all right?"

Waving her hand, she nodded at the concerned astrophysicist. "I'm all right, thanks."

"We'll get some of Crazy Joe's Sloppy Nachos in her, she'll be fine," Darcy agreed. "How are you feeling, like, emotionally though?"

Barbara leaned back as the coughs subsided. "Okay, all things considered."

Jane smiled at her sadly. "Steve's a nice guy - "

"But he's a total idiot," Darcy finished. "Don't worry, he'll figure it out."

She shook her head in reply. "I'm not so sure. I haven't spoken to him at all, and it's almost been three weeks now."

"We'll wear him down eventually," Darcy cut in.

"But even if we don't," Jane said, shooting Darcy a look, "we still want you to know that you're welcome. Us girls have to stick together."

"Especially around idiots like these," Darcy said, turning to look at a handsome blonde man who was making his way towards their table.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my best girl," the man shot Darcy a lascivious grin.

Rolling her eyes, Darcy faced Barbara. "Barbara, this is Johnny Storm. Johnny, Barbara Allen. He's one of the Fantastic Four."

"Oh!" Barbara said, feigning surprise. She extended her hand towards the man, who had just now noticed her presence. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Storm."

"My friends call me Johnny, but you, gorgeous, can call me anything," he replied with a wink before he leaned over and kissed her hand.

Jane audibly groaned while Darcy gagged exaggeratedly. "Oh god, Johnny, that was awful."

"Actually, that wasn't his worst."

Darcy perked up as a petite blonde woman came into view. "Sue!"

The woman – Sue – beamed at Darcy. She was dressed in a short blue dress and matching heels, her hair combed into shiny waves. Extending her arms, she wrapped Darcy in a hug before reaching across the table to hug Jane.

"Barbara, this is Sue Storm, aka the Invisible Woman! Sue, this is our friend Barbara."

"It's nice to meet you, Barbara."

Barbara returned Sue's warm smile. "You too, Ms. Storm."

"Please, call me Sue."

"What are you two doing here?" Jane asked, gaze flickering between the pair.

Sue rolled her eyes. "Johnny wanted to go out tonight. It was my turn to go babysitting."

"You know, I don't need a babysitter every time I go outside - "

"Yes, you do," Jane, Darcy and Sue spoke in unison.

Winking again at Barbara, he leaned down towards the table. "Well, when there's such fine specimens of femininity here, why would I want to go elsewhere?"

"Nope!" Darcy said, pushing Johnny towards the crowd of people. "We are having girl's night. Sue, you can stay. Johnny, try not to give anyone crabs."

The sounds of Johnny's protests disappeared as Darcy shoved him into the crowd. Sue shook her head and moved to sit down next to Barbara, who scooted further into the booth.

Barbara turned to her with a smile. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but what's it like being a superhero?"

"Honestly? It's terrifying." Sue grabbed hold of her mixed drink and took a sip. "It's terrifying, but it's worth it."

"Isn't it weird that everyone knows your secret identity, or whatever?" She continued to press.

"It was definitely a bit of an adjustment at first," Sue admitted. "It's given me a bit more freedom in what I can do, so I'd say it was worth it." She turned to look at Jane and Darcy. "How are the Avengers handling it?"

"As well as they can be," Jane replied with a sigh. "I mean, Tony and Thor were common knowledge from the beginning, so I think they're helping make the transition easier for the others."

"Bruce is having the hardest time of them all," Darcy sighed. "I mean, I've spent the last couple of years trying to build up his confidence and get him to just, you know, communicate with the Hulk, and now with all these reports going around – they're mostly trash, but he doesn't take it well."

"Ben was the exact same way," Sue nodded sympathetically. "It'll get better eventually."

"Speaking of your men," Jane interrupted, before Darcy could look too sad, "how's Reed?"

Sue groaned. "I mean, he's wonderful on one hand, but completely impossible on another. He's been trying to meet with Tony for days now, he has some ideas about this U.N. deal Stark's trying to push through. Apparently, Tony keeps hanging up on him."

Barbara frowned, looking at Sue. "Why is that?"

"Ego fight," Darcy whispered loudly across the table.

“Really?” Barbara asked skeptically, glancing between the two women.

"Like you wouldn't believe!"

"The last time they were in the same room," Jane leaned across the table towards Barbara, whispering loudly, "Reed challenged Tony to a game of chess and _won._ "

Barbara frowned. "And that's a problem because?"

"Because Tony is a cheating cheater who cheats," Darcy threw the rest of her margarita back.

"Reed beat his 'predicative competitive surveillance algorithm'."

"Meaning that he has computers spy on his opponents and let him know the best way to win, and Reed still won!" Jane translated for Sue.

"When was that?"

Sue reached for her margarita with a sigh. "Two years ago."

"Two years?!"

The other women around the table groaned in unison. "Yep."

Scoffing, Barbara shook her head. "Men."

"Right?" Darcy exclaimed across the table. "MEN."

"Men." Jane nodded sympathetically. Sue just hummed in agreement.

"Enough about the men!" Darcy snatched a beer off of a passing tray and held it up in the air. "To girl's night!"

"Hopefully, the first of many," Sue smiled at the group, raising her own glass.

Jane and Barbara grinned at each other before lifting up their almost empty margaritas as well.

"To girl's night!"

\--

"Ms. Potts, if you have a moment - "

Pepper blew her bangs out of her braids, momentarily pausing the stereo next to her treadmill. "Go ahead FRIDAY."

"I've been surveilling Captain Rogers, and it appears that he is in his thirty-second hour of consecutive consciousness."

"Isn't that normal for him?" She asked, slowing the pace of the treadmill to a walk.

"According to JARVIS' records, yes, but he hasn't moved in over two hours."

"But he's conscious?"

"That would be correct, Ms. Potts."

Pepper hopped off of the treadmill, reaching for a towel. "Where is he?"

"In his quarters, Ms. Potts. Would you like me to call an elevator for you?"

"That would be great, thank you FRIDAY."

The elevator on the far side of the gym dinged as the doors slid open. Pepper walked in and leaned against the back-glass door, exhaling as the elevator began racing up towards the 82nd floor. The carriage stopped as soon as it started, and Pepper stepped out into Steve's still sparsely decorated quarters.

"Steve? Is everything all right? FRIDAY was concerned about your vitals and - " Pepper's words dried in her mouth as she took in the scene.

The oversized canvas that had been delivered to Steve's quarters was leaning against the main wall in his living space. Formerly white, it was now a sea of blacks and greys, of a busy New York street at night. A sidewalk ran down the center of the canvas, illuminated by the lights of a neon red sign. And at the center of the painting was a girl in a navy blue dress, spinning to look at the viewer, a look of joy on her face. It didn't take the girl's bright red hair for Pepper to know just who Steve had spent his whole night painting.

"Steve," she breathed out, staring at the painting in awe.

The man in question was slumped against the far wall, gaze glued to the floor in front of him. He still held a paintbrush in his hand, the red drops of paint in front of him indicating that he'd been sitting there for a while, presumably since he finished the painting. "Ms. Potts."

Pepper stepped closer to the wall-size canvas, attempting to get a closer look. "This is - "

"Can you get rid of it for me?"

She froze mid-step. "What? Get rid of it?" She turned to look at him, dumbstruck. "Steve, it's amazing - "

"I can't – I can't look at it, Pepper."

Pepper gazed down at him in shock. Steve angled his head up slightly, revealing dried tear tracks on his red face. "I can't."

Feeling tears rush to her own eyes, she nodded. "Yeah, of course. I'll take care of it."

The elevator doors slid open behind her with a ding. "Rise and shine, sleeping beauty, Hill's called an emergency meeting - " Pepper felt Tony come to a stop next to her. "Well, fuck."

Shooting Tony a look, she motioned for him to grab Steve. "You two head to your meeting. Don't worry, Steve, I'll handle this."

Steve stood, still unable to totally look Pepper in the eye. Murmuring a quick "thanks", he allowed himself to be corralled out of the room by a thoroughly dumbstruck Tony Stark.

The minute the elevator doors closed shut behind her, Pepper pulled out her phone. "Darcy? Can you come meet me on Steve's floor? I need your help."

\--

"Ms. Gordon?"

Barbara groaned, rolling over on her bed. "A.L.F.R.E.D.?"

"I apologize for waking you, Ms. Gordon. Mr. Allen instructed me not to wake you unless it was urgent."

"What time is it?"

"Two in the afternoon."

"What?" She gasped, sitting upright. Feeling the blood rush to her head, she groaned, dropping her head into her hands. "What's happening?"

"Director Hill has called an emergency meeting of the Avengers."

That woke Barbara up quickly. "When?"

"Twenty minutes."

"I'll be ready in ten."

\--

True to her word, ten minutes later Barbara, Barry, and Wade were in the basement of her brownstone. Barry, of course, was enthusiastically examining each of the monitors. Barbara, on the other hand, was sitting on her couch, alternating between typing into wireless keyboard and taking bites of the oatmeal.

"Was there a SHIELD memo about this?"

"No, Ms. Gordon. I overheard chatter inside Stark Tower."

"What?" Barbara yelped, practically jumping off the couch. "A.L.F.R.E.D., it's too dangerous with Mr. Stark's AI online - "

"Mr. Stark's AI is no longer online, Ms. Gordon. At least, not the same AI that is currently running Stark Tower."

"What?" She gaped, settling back down on the couch.

"Wait, how many AIs does this guy have?" Barry asked, stepping back from the monitor wall.

A.L.F.R.E.D. ignored his question. "During our weekly scan of SHIELD's servers, I discovered a flaw in Mr. Stark's AI coding. I was able to manipulate the flaw into creating a window for our surveillance."

Barbara frowned, shaking her head. "That wasn't possible before."

"That is because this is not the same AI from before. I've examined its coding, and it appears to be slightly less complex than whatever preceded it."

"But why? Why would a guy like Tony Stark uninstall his current AI to plug in a worse version of it?" Barry sat down on the arm of the sofa next to Barbara.

"That remains to be seen, Mr. Allen. However, I have come across a heavily encrypted file that was not previously on Mr. Stark's servers."

Barbara began typing commands into her computer. "A.L.F.R.E.D., consolidate our feeds onto the main screen and bring up that file."

The smaller monitors around the large flat-screen mounted on the wall went dark, providing even more of a contrast with the large blue file on the main screen.

"Huh," Barry muttered. "Vision. Any ideas, A.L.F.R.E.D.?"

"Not at the moment, Mr. Allen. I'm hoping that this emergency meeting will shed some light on the matter. I could attempt to decrypt the file, if you would like."

Barbara shook her head. "Let's wait on that. I'd prefer to hold this position rather than expose ourselves and run the risk of his AI retaliating."

"Of course, Ms. Gordon. It appears that the meeting has started. Transferring conference room feed onto the main screen."

The screen switched into a live feed of the conference room. "I hope you have a good reason for interrupting my Saturday," Tony's voice came through. The Avengers were sitting around a circular table facing Director Hill, who was standing in front of a video-screen herself.

"HYDRA's gone dark."

The team instantly began speaking all at once.

"What?"

"That's not possible."

"How did this happen?" Steve's voice cut through, steely.

"Great question, Steve," Barbara muttered as she began to type on her keyboard. "A.L.F.R.E.D.?"

"When the SHIELD dump happened, all known HYDRA servers were dumped with it. I've re-reviewed the information we saved, and there is nothing indicating that HYDRA has established communication systems elsewhere. If Director Hill is suggesting that there are remaining pockets of HYDRA activity, then HYDRA has found a different way of communicating within their ranks."

"The last six potential points of interest provided by ORACLE were vacant. We found traces of HYDRA's presence, but there's been nothing to indicate just where they were headed," Hill continued. "We've attempted to interrogate the HYDRA operatives recovered from Sokovia, but either they were not told where they were being transferred to, or Doctor Strange's truth spell is faulty."

"It's not faulty." Strange stepped into the room through a golden archway.

"Are you sure?" Tony snorted. "Performance issues are normal for a man of your age."

"Of my age? As in, younger than you?" Stephen retorted, a playful smirk on his face.

"That's that sorcerer guy, isn't it?" Barry asked as Director Hill attempted to break up the now squabbling geniuses.

"Yep, Doctor Stephen Strange, Sorcerer Supreme."

"Huh," Barry hummed, watching as Natasha finally had to pull Tony back down into his seat and wrap her hand around his mouth.

"Sorry, Maria, you were saying?"

"Doctor Strange has assured us that his truth spell works - "

"And it does."

"-so that leads me to believe that whatever remaining HYDRA leadership is in place is likely keeping their cards close to their chest."

"That still doesn't tell us why."

Strange groaned. "Of course, it does. They want the Stone."

Barbara's finger froze. "So it was the Mind Stone."

Barry frowned. "I'm sorry?"

"There was some alien staff, apparently belonging to Thor's brother," Barbara explained as she jumped back into typing. "A.L.F.R.E.D., bring it up on screen three. Strange suspected that it held the Mind Stone." She shook her head. "He was right."

"But why? What does that one do?"

Barbara shrugged. "I have no idea."

"Well, then let's use it as a lure or something," Clint began to speak, silencing Barry and Barbara's conversation. "Try and draw them out with it - "

"No, absolutely not," Strange shook his head. "It's too much of a risk."

"The Sorcerer is right, Barton," Thor boomed out. "If the Stone fell into wrong hands, it could spell disaster for everyone in existence. You, out of all of us, should know just how dangerous the Mind Stone can be."

"The Stone has fully integrated with Vision," Tony cut in before Clint could retaliate. "He'd keep it safe."

"He's only been technically alive for four days," Strange shook his head with a sardonic laugh. "Forgive me if I don't have total confidence in his ability to successfully deflect an attempt to steal the Stone."

"JARVIS' security protocols are very clear - "

"JARVIS and Vision aren't the same entities, Stark," Strange bit out. "Vision is JARVIS, yes, but he is also the remnants of the ULTRON program. We have no way of knowing if any of JARVIS' consciousness actually transferred into Vision."

"Have your tests given you any indication, Stark?" Hill asked.

He sighed. "He seems to have some of JARVIS' memories, but not all. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to which ones he is capable of recalling."

"That's the file we saw," Barry whispered to Barbara.

"But it doesn't sound like they're talking about a file," she replied, furrowing her brow. "It sounds like they're talking about a person."

As soon as the words came out of her mouth, Barry and Barbara turned to look at each other.

"Did they - "

"No, it can't be - "

"A.L.F.R.E.D., do we have anything on ULTRON?"

"We only have one file from SHIELD, Ms. Gordon. Most of the writing was redacted."

"Pull it up anyways. Screen seven."

The document appeared to the right of the main monitor. A.L.F.R.E.D. was correct; most of the data had been redacted. However, in the center of the page, one word remained clearly visible.

"Android," Barbara breathed.

Barry shook his head. "There's no way - "

"That has to be it," Barbara shook her head. "A.L.F.R.E.D., can we access any security footage from Tony's lab?"

"Pulling it up on screen four, Ms. Gordon."

Barry and Barbara turned their heads to the left, watching as blurry images of people in lab coats ran passed the screen.

"Wait, stop it there."

The tape paused on a gray figure laying out on a table.

"Play it forward at normal speed," Barbara beckoned, leaning forward.

The recording resumed, and Barbara and Barry watched in awe as a bright yellow light was slowly placed onto the forehead of the gray figure laying on the table by a fully suited-up Iron Man. Thor stepped into the frame, and with a thrust of Mjolnir, the figure on the table was lit up with electricity as lightning moved into its shell. There was a bright flash, and as the light faded, Barbara and Barry saw the figure on the table turn bright red and step off of the table, yellow light in its forehead still glowing.

"No way," Barry breathed. "They created an actual artificial life."

"And gave it an Infinity Stone." Barbara finished.

"Well. That's a thing." Barry laughed, shaking his head in disbelief. "I take it back. This is, by far, the weirdest thing that's happened to you."

Barbara rolled her eyes as she turned her attention back to the main screen.

"And Vision hasn't provided any useful information as to where HYDRA would be headed?" Hill asked Stark.

"Again, he's been conscious for four days, and his memory is spotty. That would be a no."

"Didn't Xavier's team recover some assets at the site?" Natasha's voice asked.

"Yes, but unfortunately, Xavier has not allowed us to question them."

"Why not?"

"Mutants fall under this jurisdiction - "

"Well, technically, the assets aren't mutants in the way we'd normally expect," Strange interrupted her, leaning back against the table. "They were test subjects. Whatever abilities they gained were due to the Stone, not to some until-now dormant genetic mutation."

"Test subjects?" Bruce asked, voice cracking slightly.

"And you let him take them? Knowing that he wouldn't allow us access without a deal?" Hill turned to look at Strange accusatorially.

"I didn't _let_ him take them, I _told_ him to take them. There's a difference."

"Why? Why would you do that?" Bruce's head turned towards Strange. "These assets, whatever or whomever they are, should be here with us - "

"And make it twice as tempting for HYDRA to attack us head-on? Yeah, I don't think so." Strange angled his chair away from the team and towards Maria. "Xavier has contacts that are capable of training them. They have rather distinct abilities that would go undeveloped if they remained here. Besides, the farther they are from HYDRA, the better. You wouldn't ask Sergeant Barnes to put himself in a position where he'd play HYDRA-bait, now would you?"

"Well, actually - " There was a grunt as Natasha elbowed Tony in the gut.

"So, what you're saying is that we've lost track of HYDRA, and we have no leads." Steve cut in before Tony could speak further.

"Essentially, yes. And if Strange is right - "

"Which I am."

" _If_ Strange is right, then they'll be after the Stone, and we need to have a game plan."

"But we don't have any assets, any intelligence, or any inkling of what they're actually planning," Tony replied with a scoff.

"Actually, you're wrong about that too." Strange turned his chair back so he was facing the rest of the table, and by extension, the security camera. "We have ORACLE."

"ORACLE? As in the ORACLE that broke through SHIELD's servers?"

"I'm still not convinced that they aren't actually HYDRA too."

"I've put the organization on SHIELD's most wanted list, per Fury's advisement."

"How do we know they can be trusted?"

The Avengers continued to talk all at once, sending all of their questions Strange's way.

"Can you zoom in on Strange at all?"

"Zooming in, Ms. Gordon."

As the camera moved closer and closer to Strange's face, Barbara felt her stomach clench at the small smirk on his face. She moved closer to the monitor as if on instinct.

"What is he up to?" Barbara murmured to herself.

"To answer your questions," he spoke loudly, effectively cutting off the conversation. "Yes, the ORACLE that broke through SHIELD's servers, no, ORACLE is not HYDRA, and no, they aren't worth putting on a most wanted list of any nature."

"How can you be sure?" Hill's voice asked.

"Because," Strange replied, his eyes flickering up to the security camera. "I know who ORACLE is."

The room fell into silence.

"Wait, does he know we're watching? How?" Barry whispered to Barbara.

She shrugged. "Sorcerer, remember?"

"Is? Are?" Strange began to speak again. "I might be a doctor, but I'm still a little hazy on which personal pronoun I should be using."

"Wait, wait, wait, stop. You," Tony leaned forward, pointing across the table. "You know who ORACLE is. How do you know who ORACLE is?"

Strange's eyes flickered away from the camera. "I've known since the beginning, Stark."

"Nope. No way. That's not possible."

"If what you're saying is true - " Hill interrupted, tone barely covering her rising frustration with the sorcerer, "you didn't think this information was worth sharing?"

"It's part of the long game, Director Hill. I wouldn't tolerate it if it wasn't necessary." Strange stood up and began casting a portal. "My suggestion? See what they can dig up for you. In the meantime, don't be stupid." And with that, Strange vanished from the Stark Tower conference room -

And walked straight into Barbara's basement.

"What the - " Barry exclaimed, on his feet so fast Barbara didn't even have a chance to blink.

"You must be the speedster," Strange smirked at Barry before looking at Barbara. "Just how much of that conversation did you hear?"

"All of it," she glanced between him and the screen. "Care to join us?"

"I'd love to."

\--

Maria had started muttering curses under her breath the minute Strange had disappeared from the room.

"Would you like one of us to go after him, Lady Hill?" Thor asked concernedly.

Taking a deep breath, Maria shook her head. "Strange's eccentricities aren't our focus right now. We need to get a plan in place for taking down HYDRA once and for all."

"FRIDAY, see if you can find some way of contacting ORACLE - "

"No," Maria cut Tony off with a glare. "We're not using outside intelligence."

"They're our best shot at getting an idea of what we're going to be up against!"

"They are an external unknowable intelligence entity, Mr. Stark. I'm not going to give them access to our intelligence and allow them to take HYDRA's place as SHIELD's next dirty little secret."

"We can work with them without giving them SHIELD access - "

"Maria's right," Steve interrupted, his voice cool and collected. "We rely on ourselves and the resources at our disposal for the time being."

"And if our resources turn up nothing? Then what?" Tony swiveled his chair to look at Steve, a sharp look in his eyes.

"You're Tony Stark. You never back down from a fight." Steve's eyes flickered over to Tony. "We won't fail. We are going to be the ones to end this."

The conference room fell into silence. That is, until Clint started slow-clapping. "Great job, Cap, excellent execution on those final lines. Next time, could you try to do it with a tear in your eye? Maybe - "

"Ignore him," Natasha interrupted Clint, kicking the wheels of his chair so he fell over backwards. She nodded solemnly at Steve. "You're lead on this, Cap. Make the call."

\--

Strange began to swear, watching as Steve started divvying up assignments between the six Avengers and Hill. "This is a mistake."

"But maybe one that we can rectify," Barbara began slowly, eyes still on the screen. She turned to look at Strange slowly. "What sort of deal was Maria talking about earlier, with Charles?"

Shaking his head, Strange got to his feet and began to pace, his cloak trying – and failing – to get him to sit back down. "Xavier wants to implement a sort of treaty between the Avengers and mutants."

"Why is that?" Barry's eyes followed Strange as he walked back and forth.

"Mutants still are discriminated against in our society, Mr. Allen. Even with superheroes running amuck. All it takes is one mutant with a grudge to give the whole group a bad name." Running his hand down his face, he sighed and turned to face the pair. "Xavier wants his X-Men to be a legally-recognized cooperative entity of the Avengers once they get UN approval. SHIELD is still technically the liaison between the Avengers and the UN, and Hill's not budging. I told Xavier to give it some time, but he's playing hardball. And unfortunately, no one at the Avengers table is really willing to push on this right now – which makes sense, given the Avengers are still technically new, but I don't see any of them being willing to champion mutant rights."

"Aren't you an Avenger?"

"Technically, no. I'm more of a consultant at this point. I am considering a 'membership', whatever that entails, if only to spearhead a cooperative initiative between the groups.

"My support of the effort on its own won't be enough, however." he sighed. "Without the support of one of the founding six, I wouldn't have enough power to pass the resolution."

Barbara turned to look at Barry, her eyes faintly glowing. "I wouldn't say that."

\--

Barbara finished her proposal, watching the room fall into silence. It had been a week since Strange's meeting with the Avengers in Stark Tower, and with no sign of HYDRA, Barbara and Barry made their way to the Mansion for an emergency meeting. Charles, Jean, Logan, Scott, Ororo and Hank had them in the main conference room of Xavier's Mansion, and were currently sitting there silently, staring at Barbara.

"I, for one, fully support a cooperative alliance," Charles began, turning to look at the other members of the group. "However, the decision is not up to me."

"As much fun as chasing down Nazis was," Scott chimed in, "dealing with them on a normal basis isn't really our thing."

"That's the thing," Barbara spoke slowly. "I don't think it's just HYDRA that we're up against. Well, not anymore."

"What do you mean by this?" Ororo asked, her brows pulling together.

"I've spent the last week running every kind of algorithm imaginable. A.L.F.R.E.D.'s been running scans 24/7. We're not finding traces of any chatter, nothing."

Logan snorted. "Maybe they're just using smoke signals."

"There'd still be traces somewhere," Barry interrupted, shaking his head. "There isn't one part of the world that isn't beyond our surveillance, with how far technology has come along. And I spent the better part of Monday running all over Europe; there's no sign of them."

"And there's no that they're all in SHIELD custody?" Jean watched Barry closely.

Barbara shook her head. "We went through SHIELD's most recent intel. Several high-ranking officials haven't been captured, including Baron von Strucker."

Logan slammed his fist on the table. "Knew I should've killed that sonofabitch when I had the chance."

"You can't find him anywhere? At all?" Scott asked incredulously.

Hank cleared his throat. "Barbara has the best surveillance tech I've seen." He turned to look at Scott. "If she can't find them, then they aren't there."

"Then where are they?"

It was in that moment that Strange chose to enter through a portal, the sound of breaking glass entering with his steps. "I think I know."

\--

"Steve, hey! Do you have a moment?"

He watched Darcy run up in his peripherals, an all-too-earnest expression on her face. "Not a good time, Darcy."

"Look – I just think we should talk about it - "

"About what?" He asked, turning towards the conference room.

"You know, about it!"

"Look, Darcy - "

He was interrupted from speaking further by a crack of thunder. Pausing momentarily, he turned to look at Darcy, resting only a moment before the two sprinted into the conference room. They arrived just in time to see Thor going flying through the window, glass shattering outwards. Tony began swearing loudly, yelling for Bruce as he pushed past Steve and Darcy, making his way towards the lab.

"It's still not too late to cancel - " Pepper yelled, running out of the conference room after him.

"And make us look like a bunch of scared puppy dogs?" Tony snapped, undoing his tie as he made his way to the lab. "I don't think so."

Pepper shook her head, struggling to keep up with him. "But if what you're saying is true - "

"Then this is our best chance of ending it." Tony turned on his heels, grabbing hold of Pepper by the shoulders. "Besides, we know his moves now. We'll be prepared. Bruce, great," he said, peering behind Pepper to address the approaching scientist. "I want all of your research on magical energy right now. Get Foster and V to help you on it. Send it all to production, whatever you got." His eyes dropped back towards Pepper. "Get Happy on the horn, tell him to call-in as much private security as possible. Oh, and Bruce!" He yelled towards the now running Bruce. "See if you can get a hold of Richards. We may need to use his tower."

"Tony, this is madness - "

"Can someone please explain to me what the hell is going on?" Darcy finally yelled, interrupted Tony and Pepper's conversation.

"We think we have a lead as to who's helping out HYDRA," Natasha supplied, stepping out of the now destroyed conference room.

Steve's eyes flickered over to her. "What sort of lead?"

"The sort of lead a certain God of Thunder really, really doesn't like," Tony forced out with a laugh.

Frowning, Steve glanced back and forth between his colleagues. "I don't understand."

\--

"Any assistance you may be able to provide in terms of an alliance we will happily accept," Ororo finally spoke, glancing to look at her compatriots.

"But if Stephen's suspicions are correct, we must set aside our own agenda for the moment," Xavier concluded, nodding at Ororo. His eyes returned to Strange's grave face. "Are you sure about this?"

"Believe me, Charles, I really, really wish I wasn't."

\--

Steve felt Darcy grip onto his arm tightly. He turned to look at her, startled at how quickly her skin turned ashen. "You can't be serious."

"Strange just confirmed it," Natasha replied coldly. "Hence Thor's rather dramatic exit."

The sensation of dread creeped up Steve's spine. "Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"

"Yes," she replied sharply. "He's coming back."

\--

"Bloody hell."

Constantine laughed dryly, throwing back a shot of bourbon. "You sure are a magnet for trouble, Gordon." Setting the shot glass on the table, he peered up at her. "How can I help?"

Barbara and Barry shared a look before turning to look back at Constantine. "Really?"

"Look, I got you into this mess – well, sort of. It's my job to help get you out."

"Just have your team ready. And the twins," she replied as an afterthought. "Helping to take down Strucker may help them find some closure."

"You think so?"

Barbara smirked, reaching for the bourbon. "It would for me." Watching the liquid as it poured into her glass, her expression became somber.

"If the Avengers can't handle it – if this goes south, Gordon – you know what this means," Constantine spoke quietly.

"I know," she whispered. He studied her for a moment, unsurprised that when she did finally raise her eyes to meet his, they were glowing a bright purple. "But this is what I have to do."

Constantine nodded slowly, the corners of his mouth turning upwards into a genuine smile. Beaming, Barry held up his empty water glass and winked at Barbara.

"That's my girl."

 

 

 


	25. Is She With You?

“All right FRIDAY, one more time. Status check.”

“Nanosuit awaiting your command, Mr. Stark.”

“Iron Guard?”

“In position.”

“Pepper?”

“She’s with us at the Tower, Stark,” Coulson’s voice cut in. Whether he was annoyed or amused, Tony couldn’t say. “We’ll keep her safe.”

“Great. Avengers, what’s your position?”

“Entering the Assembly now. Barton, Wilson, Banner and Rogers are with me. Rhodes has already arrived.” Natasha murmured into her earpiece.

“Lewis, you have eyes on Thor?”

“He’s en route, Tony. Just flew out of here a few minutes ago.”

“How are things?”

"Steady and ready to party!”

“I forbid you from partying with Vision when I’m not there to tape it.”

“Tony - “ Hill growled warningly.

“Fine, fine, okay. Let me know if anything weird happens, okay? FRIDAY, keep your eyes on Vision too. Just in case.”

“Roger that, boss.”

Tony landed in front of the United Nations General Assembly building with a quiet thud. The reporters standing outside the building began hollering, and he winced as the camera flashes blinded his eyes in the moment before he got his trademark sunglasses on. “Hill?”

“All available intelligence officers are in the area and armed.”

“All right, good. Where’s Strange?”

“Right here,” the man in question announced, smirking at Tony’s flinch as he portalled into view. The reporters went wild again, but Strange didn’t so much as bat an eyelash. “We’re in position.”

“See, guys? Easy as pie.” Tony beamed, slapping Strange on the back. “Loki won’t know what hit him.”

\--

"I really hope you’re wrong about this,” Barbara murmured to Constantine. The pair were sitting in Barbara’s garage, waiting – and hoping – they wouldn’t have to step up to the plate. Barry was channel-surfing the newly-installed flat screen that Wade had once again haphazardly nail-gunned into the wall, searching for the UN General Assembly livestream. He hummed in agreement.

“Well, I don’t hope so!” Wade chirped. He was leaning against the Babsmobile – official title pending – and wiping the blades of his katanas. “You know how much I like a nice old-fashioned Nazi hunt. And I’m still hurt I wasn’t around for your planning parties last week.”

“And who’s fault is that?” Barbara asked, turning to smirk at him.

“Look, what Petey wants, Petey gets. And when my baby boy gets the stomach flu, you know I’m gonna be there for him.”

“That’s so sweet,” she aww’ed in reply. She could tell Wade was beaming under his mask.

“I know. I can practically hear his blush.”

Peter’s groan broke over the comms. “Can we not talk about this right now?”

“Right, sorry Spidey. How’s it looking?”

“So far, no sign of anyone,” he replied. “I might swing down a bit closer, see if I can get a better vantage point.”

“Just be careful. We don’t want to give away our position,” Barbara ordered. “A.L.F.R.E.D., connect our comms to Xavier’s team.”

“Right away, Ms. Gordon.”

Logan’s voice crackled through before stabilizing. “How’s it going Red?”

“Just fine, thanks. It’s good to hear your voice,” she replied with a small smile.

“Aww, is Logan blushing - “

“Scott!” Jean’s voice interrupted his teasing. “We’re ready on our end, Barbara.”

“Good. I’ll keep you posted.”

“Ms. Gordon, it appears the assembly meeting has started.”

“Excellent.” Glancing around her garage, she nodded at her team. “Okay, team. Let’s suit up.”

\--

Steve was tense. Well, tense was probably an understatement. He’d been tense ever since he found out HYDRA had infiltrated SHIELD. He’d been tense every time someone had mentioned Barbara to him in the weeks following his phone call. Hell, he’d been tense when Darcy gave him a mocha instead of an americano. No, this was a whole new level of bodily stress.

He stood stone-still in front of the assembly. The meeting, chaired by King T’Chaka of Wakanda, had started only a few minutes earlier. Tony was leading the presentation and reading the by-laws of the Avengers organization to the accepting nods of the UN. Clint and Natasha were standing on either side of him, eyes watching the hired security that were keeping guard on the front wall of the building. Thor was standing a bit off to the side, nodding along solemnly with Tony’s speech and gripping Bruce’s hand comfortingly. Strange was leaning against the railing of the assembly floor, tapping his foot silently. As for Steve – well, he could only focus on his breathing, fighting every urge to holler at the UN, to get them to safety, to warn them that this was a trap -

“ - finally, we promise to protect and serve this world and its people, and the peoples of all other planetary systems against slavery and oppression. And should a day come when our efforts fail, that our world falls to the tyranny of some larger evil, you can be sure as hell that we’ll avenge it.”

All of the sudden, the hair on the back of Steve’s neck stood on end, the air in the room seemed to disappear all at once, and Steve knew with a sinking feeling that Tony had been right.

Loki was here.

“A lovely speech, to be sure,” a horribly familiar voice purred. Steve whirled around on instinct to find Loki standing only a few feet away, calmly picking at his nails. His green eyes glanced up at the group, his mouth forming into a sickly smile. “It’s a pity you wasted your last words on it.”

Tony turned to face Loki with a sigh. “I don’t suppose you’ll surrender if we ask nicely?”

Loki chuckled, that sharp grin still on his face. “I’m afraid not.”

“Well, in that case - “ Tony pressed a button on his wrist and the Nanotech surrounding the arc reactor began to spread across his body, moving like a fire, until Iron Man was standing just where Tony Stark had been. “Let’s dance, Bambi.” The UN descended into chaos. Emissaries dove under their desks in the front of the room as the reporters began stampeding out of the back. The undercover operatives pulled their weapons, and Steve counted at least sixty agents, all with their guns trained on Loki.

Natasha grabbed the pistols hidden under her suit coat and pivoted, aiming them at Loki just as Clint withdrew his bow and arrow. Bruce just focused on breathing calmly, but he hardened his stance as if he was poising to fight. Steve tore off his jacket, revealing his tactical suit underneath, and caught the spinning shield out of mid-air as it rushed towards him, thrown by one of the undercover SHIELD agents in the room.

Thor was the first of the team in motion, rushing forward with a roar. Suddenly, silver ropes seemed to appear out of the floor, and the wrapped themselves around Thor, dragging him to the ground.

“Now, now, brother. Why must you always insist on fighting?” Loki tutted at Thor before looking back up at the Avengers.

“As much fun as it would be to play ‘which Earth leader shall I kill next?’, I’m afraid I promised to leave them be, so there is really no need for such a show of force. Especially because it won’t do you any good.”

More silver ropes suddenly lashed out at them, and it was only Strange’s whispered incantations that prevented them from touching the Avengers.

Loki’s eyes flickered over to Strange. “A sorcerer. How nice.”

Strange continued to mutter, and the ropes holding Thor down disappeared.

“Hmmm. Fascinating,” Loki’s voice was almost disinterested. Thor looked up at him as he pulled himself to his feet.

“Cease this madness, brother. Your fight here is over.”

“That is where you’re wrong, brother, and where you’ll always be wrong.” Loki’s face grew angry as he glared at Thor. “For you and I, it’s never ever.” His hands started to glow green as his signature smirk reappeared on his face.

“Catch me if you can, brother.”

With that, Loki vanished from sight, and the room burst into noise.

“Where did he go - “

“Strange?”

“Give me a minute, I’m tracing it - “

“Sir, an army has materialized outside of the Tower,” FRIDAY’s voice spoke over the comms.

“You know what to do, FRIDAY. Send out the Guard.” Tony turned to face Strange. “Can you get us there?”

Strange squinted at him as he clapped his hands, a golden archway appearing behind him. “Do you really need to ask that?”

“Look, I just wanted to be sure that we weren’t walking into a - “ Tony rushed through the portal, the rest of the team on his feet, and felt his body freeze the moment they touched the pavement.

“Trap. Son of a bitch.”

“Strange?” Natasha asked worriedly.

Strange began to swear under his breath. “It’s a runic circle. It can’t be broken from the inside. But how - “

“I waited for you to step through before finishing it, of course,” he heard Loki’s voice from behind him. Whirling around, Strange found himself face to face with the trickster god. Loki’s grin was one of pure victory. “Honestly, gentlemen – and spider - I’m almost disappointed.”

Bruce began to shake, and with a loud roar the Hulk burst forward, angrily batting at the ground for preventing him from running forward.

Thor raised his arm in the air, holding his hammer to the sky. “Loki - “

“Ah, ah, ah,” Loki replied. A circle suddenly appeared beneath Thor’s feet, and the God of Thunder disappeared, only to re-emerge out of mid-air across the courtyard. Having let go at the sensation of falling unexpectedly, the hammer fell out of Thor’s hands and landed lifelessly on the ground between the runic circles, one holding the Avengers, the other holding Thor. “We won’t be having any of that.”

Thor pounded his fists on the ground. “Why are you doing this, brother?”

“Me? I’m not doing anything. I’m just here for the Stone,” he replied, strutting over towards Thor. “They’re the ones you need to worry about.”

For the first time, the group’s attention darted away from Loki and towards the mass of soldiers now standing in front of Stark Tower. Steve felt the blood drain away from his face.

“Is that - “

“It can’t be - “

“How is that possible - “

The Red Skull stepped forward, eyes burning as he stared at Steve. “It’s been a long time, Captain.”

\--

“No way,” Wade breathed, leaning over Barbara’s shoulder.

“Who’s the guy with the face paint on?” Barry asked him.

Swearing, Barbara turned the comms back on. “Logan, are you getting this?”

She was greeted by the sound of almost identical swear words coming out of his mouth. “Believe me, he’s seeing it,” Scott answered for him, his voice cold.

“It’s up to you here, Gordon,” she heard Constantine whisper.

Barbara was silent for a moment before turning to face him. “We’re going in.” Constantine disappeared in a cloud of ash and flame. She whirled around to face Barry and Wade. “Barry, get all of the civilians out of there and create a perimeter. If any HYDRA soldier gets too far outside a four-block radius, bring them back. Once Maximoff comes through, slowly start to push in towards the Tower.” Barry nodded and disappeared in a gust of wind.

 “Wade,” she reached for a set of keys and tossed it towards him, “take the car and meet me at the Tower.”

“YES! You got it, boss!” With a loud whoop, Wade jumped into the Babsmobile and shot out of the garage.

“Parker, head towards the Baxter Building and tell them to wait for the signal. If you see anything weird in the sky, you let me know.

“Logan, Jean, Scott, that goes for your teams as well. A.L.F.R.E.D., initiate protocol Overwatch. Once we go live, I want you to loop us into SHIELD’s comms. Xavier, I want you to make the call.”

“Affirmative, Ms. Gordon.”

“Great. A.L.F.R.E.D., get me audio and calculate the fastest way to the Tower.” Sitting down on her bike, she tightened her ponytail and placed her mask over her eyes. “It’s go time.”

\--

“Time is a funny thing,” the Red Skull continued speaking. “It makes you re-think certain things that you once held to be true. However, in my case, it just reaffirmed that my understanding of life is, in fact, true.

“People are desperate to be controlled, Captain. And you have given me the means to do it.” Snapping his fingers, he reached for the megaphone being held by a smirking Brock Rumlow and raised it towards the Tower.

“I wish to address the being known as Vision,” he began, his accent echoing across the block. If Steve felt it was odd that there was no sign of any civilian life, the thought disappeared from his mind as instantaneously as it arrived. “Either you surrender yourself to us, or I kill your friends one by one in front of the world. This is my only offer.”

Steve heard Coulson, Hill, and Jane begin to yell loudly over the comms, but none of their arguments seemed to stick, because within mere seconds Vision had materialized in front of the Red Skull.

It was kind of eerie, how similar they looked, standing in the bright sunlight, the red of their skin reflecting onto the pavement below. Vision cocked his head slightly, examining the Red Skull. “I am here. Why do you seek me out?”

“Oh, we don’t want you,” Red Skull’s face distorted into a grin. “We want the Stone.”

“I will not allow you to take it front me,” Vision’s voice was stern yet soft.

“I’m afraid, young one, you won’t have a choice.”

Loki lifted his hands, and Vision began to scream.

\--

The sound of Vision screaming caused Barbara to stumble after dismounting from her bike. “What’s happening?”

Constantine appeared in a cloud of ash. “Loki is attempting to remove the Stone from his head.”

“Can they stop it?” Barbara asked as the two moved silently towards the courtyard, hiding on the wall of one of the neighboring towers.

“Negative,” Constantine spoke. “Whatever runic circles are holding the Avengers back are also preventing them from casting anything near there. As long as Loki is focused on extracting that Stone, we can’t touch him.”

\--

“How much longer is this going to take, Odinson?” Red Skull addressed Loki disaffectedly. The android was still screaming, body pressed against the ground as Loki’s magic caressed the Stone, seemingly attempting to coax it out. Rumlow flanked him, machine gun hanging at this side. Strucker had stayed back with the troops, waiting for Schmidt’s signal to release the Russian assets.

“This is no simple task, Colonel Schmidt,” Loki spat. “I will need as much time as I can get. Thankfully, we have that taken care of,” he nodded behind him towards the still-imprisoned Avengers.

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that.”

Schmidt whirled around to find himself face to face with a blonde man in a trench coat. The man opened his mouth an exhaled, his cigarette smoke accosting Schmidt’s air space.

“I’m afraid we have not had the pleasure of meeting,” Schmidt replied through gritted teeth.

“Constantine,” the man spoke, taking another drag of his cigarette.

“Constantine,” he repeated, eyes flickering over to Rumlow. ”And what part do you play, Constantine?”

“I’m the Hellblazer,” Constantine replied.

“Quite a theatrical name, don’t you agree?” Schmidt smirked, turning to look at Rumlow.

“Perhaps, but it’s fitting.”

“Oh? And why is that?”

“Because that,” Constantine smiled at him, dropping the cigarette onto the ground, “is where you’ll be headed when I’m through with you.”

\--

“When should I jump in?” Barbara whispered into her comm. She’d stayed hidden in the shadows of Stark Tower as Constantine had insisted on making the first contact.

“He’ll make it very clear,” Zatanna replied. “Do you know what you’re going to do?”

She shook her head. “I’m not sure. What’s the best way to disrupt the spell around Loki and Vision?”

“A magic-based offensive would be best. Unfortunately, he's an immensely powerful caster. We can’t portal in as long as he’s working on Vision, and our best bet at taking him down is to portal in as close to him as possible.”

Barbara shook her head, watching as Constantine continued to antagonize the Red Skull. “Would my powers count?”

“Honestly? I have no idea. I’m not sure what would happen to put such raw elemental force against magic. We’ve never had a situation quite like this before.”

“So what I need is a magical weapon.” Her eyes pivoted across the courtyard, landing on the hammer lying next to Thor’s runic circle. “I wonder.”

Exhaling deeply, she flexed her fingers, concentrating entirely on the hammer.

It pivoted towards her with her movement.

Barbara grinned. “Be ready. I’ve got a plan.”

\--

“A fascinating story, Constantine,” Schmidt snorted. He began walking away from Loki towards Constantine, Rumlow following his lead, gun trained on the newcomer. “But it will take more than a few parlor tricks to defeat us.”

“Perhaps,” Constantine shrugged, looking bored. “But you will be defeated.”

At that Schmidt began to laugh, gesturing to the army behind him. “You, against us? Against the power of our army? Against an Asgardian magician? No, Hellblazer, you will not win. It would take an act of God to defeat us.”

“Now, that,” Constantine snapped his fingers before pointing at Schmidt, “that can be arranged.”

Schmidt’s eyes narrowed in response. Rumlow broke out into a laugh behind him. “In case you haven’t noticed, your god,” he pointed towards Thor, “is a bit indisposed at the moment.”

But even Rumlow’s glee disappeared as Constantine’s face stretched into a grin. “That’s not the one you need to worry about.”

\--

“That’s your cue,” Zatanna’s voice murmured.

“See you on the other side,” Barbara replied. Pushing herself into a standing position, she walked out of the shadows of Stark Tower.

\--

"That? That is no god,” Schmidt laughed as the redhead clad in a skin-tight black suit walked towards him.

Steve felt Tony’s gloved arm land on his back. “Is it just me, or does the redhead look familiar?”

Nausea began to climb its way up Steve’s throat. All he could do was nod in reply.

“Well, fuck.”

\--

“Yeah, what is she going to do? Kick us to death or something?” Rumlow eyed her boots.

Barbara grinned, feeling a rush of power in her veins. “Or something.”

She stretched out her hand, and Mjolnir flew towards her.

“That’s not possible,” Schmidt spoke worriedly.

Grinning, Barbara lifted her Mjolnir in the air. A purplish glow began pouring from her body in response as thunder cracked overhead.

“That’s not possible, that’s not possible!” Schmidt was screaming.

Loki’s gaze had pivoted towards Schmidt upon hearing thunder. His eyes caught sight of Barbara holding Mjolnir in the air and he blanched. “No.”

“Now!” Constantine hollered, forcing Schmidt and Rumlow back towards the army.

Turning on her heel, Barbara ran straight for Loki and Vision. Loki began to scream, the incantation he was using to extract the Stone dying in his throat. With a mighty roar, Barbara leapt into the air, just as lightning rained down from the heavens, electrifying the hammer.

She swung the hammer as she landed, and it cracked the steps of the stone plaza, sending Loki flying backwards, lightning jumping off of the hammer and onto him. The runic circle surrounding Vision, which had previously been glowing bright blue, faded on impact.

“Zatanna, now!”

A red flash of light filled the square and Zatanna appeared, Madam Xanadu and the Maximoff twins in tow. Nodding towards Xanadu, Zatanna began to murmur an incantation. Xanadu and the female Maximoff joined in, and before Loki could get to his feet, he was surrounded in a golden triangle of light.

Barbara’s attention was diverted back towards Vision at the sound of his groan. The Mind Stone appeared to be still lodged in his head, but his mobility was incredibly limited.

The sound of a multitude of whispers filled her ears. Barbara stretched out her hand as if on instinct, her fingers becoming a purple blur. Light began to pour out of her hand into the golden stone. Vision gasped, a flash of golden light enveloping them both. Barbara blinked, the light fading from her eyes, and found Vision floating on the ground above her, looking as if he hadn’t just been subjected to torture from Loki Odinson.

“Thank you,” he murmured, eyes glued to her outstretched hand.

Nodding, dumbstruck from whatever just happened between them, she cleared her throat. “Of course.”

“Hey, Babs, I’d hate to interrupt your meet-cute, but we’ve got fighter jets incoming,” Peter’s voice spoke over the comms. “I could use some backup!”

“I’m on it.” She handed Mjolnir to Vision who took it carefully out of her hands. “You’re up,” she said to him.

He nodded at her once and took off into the sky.

“A.L.F.R.E.D., get Vision in the loop.”

“Right away, Ms. Gordon.”

“What are you waiting for? Kill them! Kill them all!” She heard Schmidt scream.

She whirled back towards the HYDRA army, fists glowing, when Constantine appeared next to her. “I’d save that, if I were you,” he nodded towards her hands. Then, with a flick of his wrist, a shield of golden light appeared, just in time to prevent the bullets from raining down on them – and the Avengers.

“Your call, Gordon,” he said, eying the army moving towards them.

Shaking her head, Barbara snapped back into focus. “Right. A.L.F.R.E.D., run Oracle. Loop us into SHIELD’s comms.”

“Of course, Ms. Gordon.”

“Barry, get the newcomer to work perimeter with you. Scott, your team goes East and moves in towards the tower. Jean, from the West. Johnny, get high and help out Peter and Vision. Richards, have the rest of your team move North towards the Tower. Logan, your team’s with me. Portal in.”

The sound of snapping appeared as several X-Men started popping into existence behind Barbara, courtesy of Kurt. “Wade, what’s your ETA?”

The Babsmobile peeled around the corner. “Ready to roll, Furiosa!” The car came to a stop in front of Barbara and Constantine. Wade hopped out, tossing Barbara’s electrified escrima sticks towards her. “Sure you don’t want to just go all purple rain on them?”

“You heard Constantine,” Barbara shook her head. “We do this the old-fashioned way.”

“Excellent,” Wade moaned, strapping his pistols onto his thighs. “Best Nazi invasion ever.”

“Red, a quick word,” Logan announced. She turned around and gaped.

“We had a last minute addition to the squad,” he nodded towards the figure dressed in black. “Xavier thought it might be useful physical therapy. Also, he’s one of the only people trained enough to take down the other winter soldiers here,” he said, inclining his head towards the group of five men – and one woman – who was moving towards the front of HYDRA’s army. “Barnes, this is Barbara. She’s the leader of this shindig.”

The man nodded at her, taking in her get-up appraisingly. “Ma’am.”

“Please, call me Barbara. And welcome.” She turned her attention back to Logan. “Once Constantine drops the shield, you, Neena, Kitty, John and Shiro go left. Piotr,” she turned towards Colossus, “take Alex, Elizabeth, Remy, and Anna-Marie and go right. Wade, you’re with me. Barnes,” she turned back to look at Bucky, “stay behind Wade and I and take out whomever you can. We’re going for the soldiers.

“Oh, and dibs on Red Skull,” she finished eyes turning back towards HYDRA with a flash. “Once you drop the shield, Constantine, go for the Avengers.”

“You’ve got it.”

Nodding once, Barbara toughened her stance. “Now!”

The shield dropped, Logan and Piotr’s teams peeled off, and Barbara, Wade, and Bucky Barnes ran straight towards HYDRA.

\--

Steve had frozen in place the minute Bucky had appeared. And now Bucky – and Barbara – were running straight towards the most dangerous people on Earth.

“Strange!” He hollered, whirling around on his heel. “Get us out of here!”

“Hulk smash! Hulk smash like red!” The Hulk roared in agreement, beating his chest.

Strange’s hands were a blur, orange light spinning around them in circles. “Believe me, I’m working on it.”

“Well, work on it harder!”

“It’s a bit difficult to break a runic circle when you’re inside it!” He snapped back. “I just need time!”

\--

Thor hadn’t stopped gaping, ever since Steve’s Barbara had called Mjolnir to her, sending Loki flying in a ray of lightning. Now, he watched openmouthed as the three women who had appeared continued to chant around Loki. Loki, who had taken a few moments to stand, was now furiously pushing against the golden triangle that was being pushed against him.

“You, sorcerer!” He addressed the blonde man – Constantine – as he muttered outside Thor’s runic circle. “What are your allies doing to Loki?”

“A containment spell,” Constantine replied without breaking his chants. “Keep him from using his magic.”

Thor frowned and reached towards Loki, flinching as Loki began to scream, the golden triangle now touching his skin. “To what end?”

“Until he is worthy, he cannot use it. It worked for you, didn’t it?”

Loki screamed, the triangle entering his chest. His body paled on impact and he slumped forward, as if the light in him at been snuffed out.

“One can hope,” Thor muttered, looking at his brother sadly.

A loud crack sounded, and the magic keeping Thor contained disappeared. “Great. Off you go,” Constantine shooed him towards the army.

Growling, Thor pivoted on his heel and ran towards the nearest tank. Vision may have Mjolnir for the time being, but the God of Thunder could still do some damage.

\--

Barbara slammed into the nearest winter soldier, a man with shaggy blonde hair, and winced at the sound of her escrima stick shattering his orbital socket. The man staggered backwards, just in time for Wade to slice his blade clean through the man’s chest.

"Nice work!” She called to Wade, leaping towards the next winter soldier. She rolled low, striking the man’s kneecaps with her escrima stick. He fell down almost instantly, and with her other arm, she aimed for the man’s collarbone.

Flipping to her feet, she stepped on the man’s hand and he squealed, his fingers releasing the automatic rifle he previously held. Her gaze flipped over to Bucky, who had just snapped the neck of a third winter soldier. “Three to go,” he spoke, eying the remaining soldiers.

\--

“Excellent work Wanda,” Zatanna said, looking down at the demigod with a look of satisfaction. The youngest witch had done most of the heavy lifting, further proving her point that training Wanda their time warp room had been a good decision.

Madame Xanadu nodded at him. “I’ve got him. You two go.”

Wanda turned to Zatanna. “I’m going after Strucker.”

“Be careful,” she replied. Wanda nodded at her once before jumping into the fray.

\--

“Barry, how are we looking?”

“SHIELD agents are pushing in on the perimeter.”

“Great,” Barbara replied, the sound of someone screaming next to her also coming through the comms. “Head in towards us.”

Barry turned to look at Pietro, grinning. “All right, newbie. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

\--

“We got this, Babs,” Wade called, his katanas slicing away at a fourth winter soldier. “Go!”

Nodding, Barbara picked up the soldier she’d been fighting – the woman – and threw her at the soldier currently fighting Bucky. They fell onto the ground in a flail of arms and legs.

Whirling around on her feet, she raised her sticks into the air, just in time for them to come into contact with a man in a skull mask.

“Aw, don’t be like that, sweetheart,” the man spoke.

“I’m sorry, should I know you?” She asked with a sweet smile before slamming her forehead against his. The man staggered backwards, and Barbara crouched into a fighting stance.

“That would be Brock Rumlow,” A.L.F.R.E.D. supplied, taking a momentary break from coordinating with the SHIELD reinforcements. “Deep-cover agent from HYDRA, former security detail for Weapon X, and would-be assassin of Steve Rogers.”

“Is that so?” She asked, watching him try to shake off her attack. Her hands suddenly felt warm. Glancing down, she saw that they were glowing purple again.

Barbara glanced up at Rumlow, whose now-shattered mask was falling off his face. “That’s it, bitch,” he snarled. “You’re dead now.”

“I hope you’re holding onto your ass, Rumlow, because yours is about to get kicked.”

\--

Zatanna appeared next to the circle in a flash of sparks. “Looking lovely as always, Zatanna,” Strange addressed her with a smile.

“And you, Doctor,” she replied, her hands immediately working on breaking the runic chain.

“Hey, less flirting, more curse-breaking,” Constantine hollered. He’d appeared next to the circle holding the Avengers moments before, and now was currently sending an orange light towards whichever HYDRA soldier was dumb enough to approach him.

“Sorry, I hate to interrupt, but what exactly are you doing to those Nazis?” Tony asked, leaning as close to the circle as he could.

“Banishing them to the hell dimension,” Constantine replied. Pausing briefly, he held the current agent in stasis, his eyes meeting Stark’s. “Unless you want them for some reason?”

Tony nodded sharply. “Nope. Carry on.”

\--

The last of the Soviet soldiers on the ground, Bucky reached for a machine gun and began firing into the crowd.

“Hey, nice work, Dracula!” Wade hollered, kicking the motionless body of one of the soldiers as his jogged over. “What’s the plan?”

Bucky kicked another rifle towards Wade. “Start shooting.”

“Shouldn’t we go after Barbara?”

Bucky jerked his head towards Barbara, and Wade turned just in time to see Barbara pick up Brock Rumlow by his neck and slam his body _through_ one of HYDRA’s tanks.

“I’d say she’s got it handled.”

“Great! Pest control it is.”

\--

“Ms. Gordon, while I’m sure would be a far more suitable alternative to the years of physical therapy Brock Rumlow will have to go through to recover from this, it appears Red Skull is attempting an escape.”

Barbara kicked Brock in the ribs again, just for good measure, and left him lying on the ground. “Where?”

“Thirty meters straight ahead.”

Picking up her now bloody escrima sticks, Barbara sprinted further into the fray. The teams of X-Men had been converging on the center of HYDRA’s army for a while now, and most of the tanks had been either electrocuted to death by Storm, smashed by The Thing, or systematically slashed and taken apart by the scores of X-Men that had flooded the area.

“How are things in the sky?”

“All planes have been taken care of,” Vision’s voice broke over. “Spider-Man, Johnny Storm and I are making our way back to the Tower.”

“Great. Barry?” Barbara shoved her way through the remaining mass of soldiers.

“Just finishing up electrocuting these tanks,” he yelled over the sound of an explosion. “We’ll be there - “

“DON’T SAY IT - “

“In a flash!”

Grumbling, Barbara caught sight of Red Skull and pushed herself forward. Only a few more feet. “I swear to God, Barry.”

“Swear to God?” Red Skull began to speak. “No, my dear,” he whirled around, pistol in his hand and a biting grin on his face. “You should pray.”

Red Skull pulled the trigger, a warm bolt of energy sliced through her midsection, and all at once Barbara felt her consciousness drowning in something familiar, yet much, much older.

_With your permission?_ It seemed to ask.

_Yes,_ she replied, and her mind dissolved in violet light.

\--

It was the sound of Wade’s scream that sent Barry into a sprint. New York zoomed around him, and he skidded to a stop in front of the Red Skull, just in time to see him fire a second, a third, a fourth round into Barbara’s torso.

Barry felt the beginnings of a scream in his throat, one that would echo the sound Captain America was making, still stuck inside his runic circle but able to see what was happening.

Red Skull stalked towards Barbara. “It’s a pity that you will die. But it is a sacrifice I am most willing to make.” Reaching out his hand towards her, he grasped hold of her neck and lifted her up.

“Come on Barbara, come on,” Barry murmured over and over again, looking for an opening.

However, when Barbara’s head was lifted, it wasn’t her voice that spoke. “She will not die today.”

Red Skull froze, face twisted in confusion as he looked at the woman in his grasp. “I’m sorry.”

“She will not be the one dying today.” Barbara’s eyes flashed open, a brilliant purple light spilling forth. “Just you.”

With a loud cry, Schmidt dropped Barbara. Grasping hold of his hand, as if it had been burned, he stepped back away from her. “Who are you? What is this sorcery?”

“I am older than the universe,” Barbara’s body spoke as it followed after Schmidt, step for step. “I protect her, and she protects me.

“I am Power, and against me you will burn.”

“That’s not possible,” Schmidt fell down, crawling away from her, screaming all the while. “That’s not possible!”

“Another thing you are wrong about,” she replied. Barbara reached for him, her small hand wrapping around his neck. Schmidt struggled against her grasp, gasping for breath.

“I am sorry it must end this way for you,” the voice in Barbara’s throat spoke. “But you give me no other choice.”

Schmidt began to shake his head back and forth, as if he was begging for his life. He opened his mouth, but no pleas came out, just a tortured cry as purple light flowed forth from Barbara’s hand and tore across his skin, cutting into his body, dissolving him into a pile of purple ash.

It was over in a few moments, his last scream the only echo of the dictator who had once stood there.

The battle in the courtyard stopped almost immediately as they turned to see Barbara glowing, completely enveloped in a purple light.

Barry moved to step forward, but was stopped by the arrival of Vision, who held out his hand.

“Sister,” he spoke. Barbara turned to face him, light still pouring from her body. “You have done your duty. You have protected your vessel well. But now, you must help her to heal. She will not survive this otherwise.”

Barbara smiled, her eyes flashing bright purple. “You are right, of course. It is good to see you, brother.”

With that, the purple light seemed to pull itself back into Barbara’s body. She gasped, stumbling forward, as the light faded from her eyes.

\--

All of a sudden Barbara was forced back into consciousness.

It had been like watching a movie, before. She was vaguely aware that the Power Stone had been using her body to communicate – and dispatch – Red Skull, but it hadn’t felt real. It was more like a dream, than anything else.

Reality snapped back, and she found herself looking at a crowd of costumed people, most of whom she recognized, as they openly gaped at her. Vision was the closest, and it was smiling at her comfortingly.

Pain suddenly shot through her body, and she glanced down, freezing at the blood freely dripping out from the holes in her torso.

The ground rushed up to meet her, Barry’s screams – and Steve’s - the last thing she heard as consciousness left her once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 11,000 words and two chapters later, we've got the big reveal! There's been a LOT these last two chapters. What do you think? I'm not 100% pleased with the battle scene - it's really difficult to write something that I'm imagining cinematically - but I think the cutting back and forth works. Anyways, we're officially over halfway done with this fic, and I am SO READY for Babs to join the Avengers. Much love to you all! Let me know your thoughts and feelings :)


	26. Barbara Ann

_It’s a pity that you will die. But it is a sacrifice I am willing to make._

_She will not be the one dying today. Just you._

_I am Power, and against me you will burn._

The purple light behind her Barbara’s eyelids came rushing towards the darkness of her mind, and she practically flailed herself back into consciousness, trying to escape the burning, raging fire of the stars -

Barbara gasped, eyes flying open as her body lurched forward. She continued to hyperventilate, hands running over her body, feeling for the gunshot wounds that _had_ to be there.

Nothing.

She glanced down, eyebrows furrowed in concern. “How is that possible?” She was back in her room at Xavier’s manor, clad in another hospital-issued nightgown. She had no idea _how_ she’d ended up here, but that wasn’t important. What was important was the entire _lack_ of wounds from the bullets that had pierced her core. There was no bandaging around her waist, no tenderness at the touch of her hands. Barbara pulled and stretched at her waist, testing to see just _where_ the pain was.

Nothing.

“This is so weird,” she murmured.

“Good afternoon, Miss Gordon,” A.L.F.R.E.D. spoke in her ear.

“A.L.F.R.E.D.?” Barbara brushed her hand against her ear, subconsciously trying to get closer to the sound of his voice. “What happened?”

“You have been under the care of Charles Xavier for the last three days. Mister Allen brought you here immediately after your loss of consciousness in New York City. It appears that the gunshot wounds you sustained from your encounter with the Red Skull have completely disappeared.”

Sighing, Barbara shut her eyes. “That’s not possible.”

“Says the woman with an alien artifact embedded in her spine,” the AI replied drily.

"Dang, sassy much?” She grumbled, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. “Speaking of Barry, where is he? Actually, where is everyone?”

“Mister Allen and the X-Men have been summoned for a debriefing at the Avengers black-site in upstate New York.”

“Debriefing? About what?”

“About you, Ms. Gordon.”

Barbara froze just as her feet touched the ground. “Shit.”

“Mister Allen’s sentiments exactly. I was to alert them the moment you woke up.”

“Belay that, A.L.F.R.E.D.”

“For what reason?”

Pushing herself to her feet, she paused for a few moments, allowing her body to recalibrate for motion. “I want in that meeting. How far of a drive is this black-site from here?”

“Three hours, Miss Gordon.”

“If we're driving?”

A.L.F.R.E.D. was silent for a moment. “Eighty-seven minutes.”

“Great!” Barbara began jogging quickly, out the door of her room and towards the front of the Manor. “I’m going to need a ride.”

"I can do you one better.”

She whirled around, finding herself face to face with a smirking silver-haired youth. “Pietro Maximoff. But you can call me Quicksilver.”

\--

“Let me get this straight,” Secretary Fury growled in anger as he glared at Stephen Strange. Strange had the gull to look thoroughly unimpressed, which was impressive in itself, considering the large vein in Fury’s forehead had been throbbing in his direction for the last twenty minutes. “You’ve known for almost three months now that a being of unimaginable power was only a few heartbeats away from the heart of this organization, and yet, you didn’t feel it necessary to _share_ that information with SAID ORGANIZATION?”

“Obviously,” Strange purred in reply. A loud snort followed his pronouncement, and he turned to glare at Constantine, who was looking all-too-entertained by Fury’s interrogation.

“Where did you say you found her again?” Bruce Banner interjected, ignoring Fury’s whispered tirade against “fucking wizards and their fucking self-righteous asses”.

“I didn’t,” Strange rolled his eyes.

“Tea?” Wade Wilson popped up on Strange’s other side, a French maid outfit on top of his standard mercenary suit. Strange ignored him. Constantine, on the other hand, waved him over with a chuckle.

“And what about them?” Tony Stark pointed at Constantine and Barry, the only two “unexplained allies” that were attending this “debriefing”.

“What about them?”

Fury slammed his fist down onto the conference table. “Why do you insist on being difficult?"

“Why the hell didn’t you tell us earlier?”

“Just how do we know we can _trust_ this Barbara Allen – if that even is her real name?”

“And what about Nancy Drew and Speedy Gonzalez over there? How the hell do we know we can trust them?”

“And where the hell did they come from?”

“Why are they here? Why now?”

_They can be trusted._ Charles’ voice echoed through the minds of the room’s inhabitants, and they quieted down instantly, turning to look at him.

_“_ You.” Fury asked, whirling to face Xavier. “You knew too?”

Charles nodded. “I did. As did the senior members of my team.”

“Well, that’s just fucking perfect,” Tony snorted, leaning back in his seat.

Steve felt Bucky’s hand on his arm. It squeezed once, twice, three times. _Are you okay?_

He just sighed, his eyes sliding shut. The last three days had been an endless blur of meetings and clean-up and frequent emotional breakdowns. He was exhausted from the emotion of it all, from feeling everything – fear, betrayal, fury, heartbreak. Hundreds of questions rushed through his head, all leading to one, inescapable truth: that Barbara, whomever she was, had lied to him. And in spite of the bruises and sore muscles, that’s what hurt the most.

“Steve?”

“I’m fine, Buck,” he murmured back. Bucky snorted, but didn’t try to push it.

“This really isn't our number one priority right now, Stark.”

“The Doctor is right, Anthony,” Thor spoke solemnly. “Something is drawing out the Infinity Stones. To what end, I cannot say, but my heart tells me it is not a good one.”

“And we will focus in on that, Odinson,” Fury replied sharply, “but not until I get some goddamn answers!”

“Yeah, I’m going to pass.” Barry pushed himself back from the table.

Grabbing hold of his arm sleeve, Constantine stopped him in place. “Where are you going?”

“I’m getting Barbara, and we’re going home.”

His eyes narrowed. “Allen, we talked about this -”

“I know we did, but Barbara doesn’t need this!” Barry gestured around the room. “We bring her back and we keep her safe. Send her to Themyscira or something!”

“You’re missing the point,” Constantine replied, ignoring the murmurs circling around the room. “There _is_ no going back. No as long as that Stone’s embedded in her spine. Our world doesn’t have the capabilities to keep her powers in check.”

“I must agree with John,” Vision spoke up quietly from the back of the room. “The Stone belongs in our universe, with its brethren. To separate it from them now that it has found its host is to court certain death.”

“Okay, pause: ‘our world’? ‘Universe’?” Tony asked, leaning forward in his chair. “What exactly are you implying here, Lucifer?”

Barry’s mouth snapped shut. He turned to look at Constantine, who just quirked an eyebrow in his direction unhelpfully. “Do you want to take this one?”

“I’d rather not.”

“Well, someone better!” Fury spat. “Start. Talking. Now.”

A sudden gust of wind tore through the room. “That’s okay, guys. I’ll take this one.”

\--

Barbara patted Pietro on the shoulder, blatantly ignoring the shouts and stares of the large conference room’s inhabitants. There were somewhere around thirty people in the room itself; the Avengers, Barry, Constantine, Peter, Wade, Charles and the X-Men, Susan and the Fantastic Four, Secretary Fury, Director Hill, Deputy Director Coulson, and -

A gentle hand touched her shoulder. Barbara turned and found herself face to face with a smiling Vision. “Welcome, Barbara.”

Pietro set her gently on the ground. “Thanks,” she murmured. Winking at her, he pivoted on his heel and disappeared in another gust of wind. “And thank you,” she said, turning to look at Vision. “I’m glad to be here.”

"As I am.” The clicking of several guns drew her attention, and she turned back towards the conference room, only to find Fury, Hill, Coulson, and Natasha pointing various weaponry in her direction. Clint was idly stringing an arrow into his bow, and Steve – Steve's face was like stone. His eyes bore into hers, hurt and anger in his irises, and she felt her heart break just a little bit more.

“You have two choices, Miss Allen – if that _is_ your last name. Either you start talking, or we take you down.”

Another breeze rushed through the room, and in a blink Barry was standing protectively in front of her. “Over my dead body.”

“Believe me, Mister Allen, that can be arranged.”

“You can try, but you won’t succeed."

“Secretary Fury, cease this nonsense.”

“She is under the protection of Asgard. If you attack her, you attack me, and my retribution will be swift.”

“By all means, let’s do this! I’ve been dying to knock Captain Underpants over there down a notch anyways.”

“Logan’s on my team!”

Grumbling, Barbara pushed Barry to the side. “I appreciate your support, Thor, Johnny, Wade,” she said, glancing between all three men, “but that won’t be necessary.” Stepping around him, she met Fury’s gaze and nodded. “I’ll talk.”

“The whole truth,” he replied solemnly. “All of it.”

Barbara inhaled quickly. “You don’t have to do this,” Barry murmured in her ear. “We can run.”

“Barry,” Barbara laughed drily, shaking her head as she shot him a look. “I’ve never run. And I won’t start now.”

He huffed out a breath, but nodded anyways. “I don’t like it, but I’ll allow it.”

She smiled, squeezing his hand. “First things first.” She shook her head to the side, a small earpiece falling out of her ear. “Initiate Big Brother. I think it’s time we introduce ourselves.”

The voice of an Irish woman flickered throughout the room. “Mister Stark, it appears something is attempting to access -” Her voice cut off suddenly.

“FRIDAY?” Tony asked concernedly. “FRIDAY?!”

“Apologies, Mister Stark,” A.L.F.R.E.D.’s voice poured through the speaker system. “Rest assured, your AI remains intact. Additionally, I have patched the holes in its neural network. FRIDAY is now inaccessible to outsider influence, besides my own.”

“What?” Bruce squeaked, shoving himself back from the table.

“Tony, please tell me you didn’t create _another_ murderous AI!”

“Look, that was only one time -”

“Wait, shut up. That’s Oracle!” Bruce interrupted again. “But -”

“I suggest you introduce yourself, and quickly,” Fury yelled over the din.

“Apologies, Secretary Fury. I am A.L.F.R.E.D."

Barbara felt a slight pressure on her arm, and allowed herself to be ushered by Vision forward into a chair at the long conference table, seated between Vision and Barry.

“A.L.F.R.E.D. is a multifunctional artificial intelligence capable of infiltrating and remotely managing any electronically or web-based interface in existence. He employs a highly advanced user interface with holographic peripherals and voice input, and communicates data back to its user via speech audio, holographic displays and conventional LCD monitors. He’s also capable of creating and executing programming and other-directed initiatives.”

“And capable of hacking FRIDAY, apparently,” Bruce added in, bewildered.

“What? How? Who?”

“I am a Wayne Enterprises creation, Mister Stark. To be more specific, I am the creation of Barbara Gordon.”

“Barbara Gordon -” Tony’s eyes shot up to meet Barbara’s and his jaw dropped. “Wha-”

She smiled, bowing stiffly in his direction. “Oracle, at your service.”

“Okay, wait, back up – you, _you_ , created him? Oracle?”

“And what the hell is Wayne Enterprises? I’ve never heard of it!”

“I’m more interested in the talk about ‘universes’ and that sort of thing.”

“Just how long have you been monitoring us?”

“Since I got here,” Barbara replied to Fury.

He crossed his arms defensively over his chest. “And when was that, exactly?”

“And where were you before?”

“And -”

Sighing quickly, Barbara cleared her throat. “A.L.F.R.E.D., access League files.”

Barry grasped hold of her arm. “Barbara, what are you doing -”

“Files accessed.”

“Located file entitled ‘Multiverse’."

“Barbara -”

She turned towards Barry, the expression on her face effectively silencing them. “Initiate multimedia presentation playback.”

The lights in the room dimmed as the screens flickered to life. Her eyes ran over and met Constantine’s, who was nodding at her in approval. The rest of the group – minus Wade – was turning their attention towards the front of the room. _Well, here goes nothing._

Barbara leaned back in her seat, and A.L.F.R.E.D.’s voice began to speak.

“First discovered by scientists at STAR Labs, the multiverse consists of multiple universes existing in the same physical space, kept separate by differing vibrational speeds. The league currently estimates an infinite number of realities occupy this singular space. As of the date of this presentation, only 527 separate realities have been catalogued. This is the ongoing project of STAR Labs, and the secondary mission focus of Code Name: Flash.”

“You were right," Susan spoke up, turning to look at Reed. “Your theory of parallel universes -”

Reed was practically jumping out of his seat. “Do you happen to have any of their research copied onto your database?”

“Yes, Doctor Richards. I have archived STAR Labs’ most current research on the subject. I would be more than happy to provide it to you to aid in your own studies.”

“That would be incredible, thank you-”

“Hold up, are we just going to blow by the whole ‘guess what, there are parallel universes and everything’ thing?” Clint interrupted, waving his hands around.

“You told me it was weird, Chuck, but not this weird,” Logan murmured in agreement.

“The reality of parallel universes isn’t news to some of us, Barton,” Strange replied. “Mystics have known this for centuries.”

“Yeah, well, forgive me if it still seems INCREDIBLY WEIRD -”

“All right, so, parallel universes exist, got it. What’s that have to do with our current situation?” Maria interrupted for the first time.

“STAR Labs has charted your current reality to be Earth-497 in the infinite rhythms of the universe. Mister Constantine, Mister Allen, Miss Gordon and I are from Earth-1.”

“Miss Gordon?” Steve’s voice spoke quietly. Barbara felt her heart shudder to a stop.

“A.L.F.R.E.D., initiate playback, League file B17.”

At this Barry practically leaped onto her lap. “Barbara, you don’t have to -”

“I have to,” she replied quietly.

“League File B17,” A.L.F.R.E.D. began, almost hesitantly. “Operative Name: Barbara Gordon. Status: Deceased.”

A hand suddenly grabbed hold of hers. Barbara looked to her right, finding that Wade had inserted himself between Barbara and Vision. He was rubbing her hand comfortingly. “It’s all right,” he murmured. “You’re Batgirl. You’ve got this.”

“Operative history.” Several images and data files featuring Barbara’s face popped onto the screen. One in the upper left-hand corner expanded, and the screen began cycling through pictures of a young Barbara. “Barbara Ann Gordon was born to James and Barbara Gordon twenty-six years ago this December.”

“Gotham City?”

“Earth-1’s equivalent of New York, Mister Stark.”

“Stop interrupting,” Fury spat out through gritted teeth.

“Right, sorry, my bad.”

“James Gordon is the current Police Commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department. Current status: civilian ally. Speak with Code Name Batman before any interactions.”

“Batman?!”

“STARK!”

“Sorry!”

A.L.F.R.E.D. sighed. “Perhaps it’s best if I start over. Operative history. Barbara Ann Gordon was born to James and Barbara Gordon twenty-six years ago in Gotham City. Gotham City, along with neighboring Metropolis, hold the country’s largest civilian populations. Unlike Metropolis, Gotham City is known for its rampant crime. The arrival of Jerome Napier in Gotham City sparked Barbara Gordon’s recruitment into the Batfamily, and at the age of thirteen Barbara Gordon began operating in Gotham City under Batman’s tutelage as the inaugural Batgirl.”

Clint turned to look at Natasha, who was watching the screen with an unreadable expression on her face. “Thirteen?” He murmured.

She didn’t reply. All she could do was watch.

“Barbara Gordon held the mantle until the age of sixteen.” A.L.F.R.E.D. paused.

“Keep going, A.L.F.R.E.D.”

“Barbara -”

“Miss Gordon, I am not certain -”

“Play it,” Barbara commanded. “They have to see.”

She felt her other hand get pulled into Barry’s lap. He squeezed tightly.

“Of course, Miss Gordon. Initiating playback.”

The screen flickered again, and this time a video started to play. That familiar sick, green, nauseous feeling made its way back into Barbara’s stomach.

“Are you sure you can watch this?” Barry muttered from his spot next to her.

She nodded hesitantly. “I’ve relived it so many times. I can do this.”

“They don’t need to see -”

“Yes, they do."

A dark-colored door appeared on the screen. A gloved hand reached out and knocked once, twice, three times.

_“I’m coming!”_

_She pulled open the front door, and she felt the exact moment her heart stopped in her chest, just in time with the sound of the gunshot echoing through the room. The Joker’s face twisted into a devilish grin as she fell, his laughter drowning out the sound of her father’s scream. Her head collided with the floor as she fell, and she tried to push herself away, to propel her legs to move her out of the way, far away from him, but – nothing happened. She tried to move again. Still nothing._

_Something was horribly, terribly wrong._

_Tears began streaming down her face, in time with the whimpers that she was suddenly aware were escaping from her mouth._

_“You see that, boys? She thinks she's a coffee table edition, though I can't say much for this volume's condition. I mean there's a hole in the jacket and the spine appears to be damaged.”_

_“You scum, I’ll -”_

_Her father grunted as two of the Joker’s henchman rushed past her prone form, presumably slamming their fists into his stomach. She tried to turn around, to see, to do something, but nothing happened._

_“It really is a shame you’ll miss your father’s debut, Miss Gordon. Sadly, the venue wasn’t built with the disabled in mind.”_

_“Why - why are you doing this?” She asked with an incredulous sob. Oh God, please, please, don’t, not this -_

_“To prove a point,” the Joker crooned, his rancid breath only a few centimeters away from her face. He held out his hand and began to caressing her, rubbing it across her cheeks and slowly down, down towards her shattered torso. “You see, I have a reason, a good one. I have to prove myself. It's not about you, though. No. No, of course not. Just this once, this one, perfect joke, then I can lead a proper life.” He grabbed a small shot glass, seemingly out of nowhere, and held it up to her face. “Here’s to crime.” He threw back the shot, and then the last thing she saw was his fist swinging down towards her temple, his disturbed laugh chasing her into darkness -_

**“** The Joker was later apprehended by Batman and sent for rehabilitation to Arkham Asylum. After that night, Barbara Gordon gave up the mantle of Batgirl, which was passed on to Operative Cassandra Cain two years later.” A silent video of Batman practically throwing the Joker into a squad car appeared on the screen, and Barbara felt herself relax slightly. The room’s occupants, most of whom had been murmuring before, had fallen silent at some point during the video’s playback. Barbara turned to look at Wade, who squeezed her hand tightly in reply. Steve, she noted out of the corner of her eye, had a pained expression on his face. She whipped her head back towards the screen. _Not here. Not now._

“Operative Gordon then took on the mantle of Oracle,” A.L.F.R.E.D. continued blithely on, “a position that she held for five and a half years. During that time, Oracle completely revitalized the League’s security system, leading to an all-time-high rate of criminal incarceration.

“Operative Gordon also dedicated herself to theoretical mobility engineering, and at the age of 21, after a year and a half of intensive physical therapy and an intrusive, experimental Palmer Tech spinal surgery and recalibration, Operative Gordon’s full mobility was restored. At that time, it was deemed by the League for Operative Gordon to be dismissed from her duties and for the last four and a half years of her life, Operative Gordon worked as a civilian engineer and programmer for Wayne Enterprises.”

“Hold on, could we just pause for a moment?” Tony held up his hand. Barbara turned to look at him, and saw the ashen look on his face. “This is kind of a lot to take in.”

“Why exactly do you refer to Barbara Gordon as dead?” Maria ignored him.

“Initializing playback of memory log, hour one.”

A new video popped onto the screen, one which Barbara immediately recognized. It was a POV video of A.L.F.R.E.D.’s original initialization, shot from the position of her wrist.

_"Program intializing. A.L.F.R.E.D. online. Who is the primary controller?" She heard his voice ask._

_"Barbara Gordon."_

_"Body scan initializing. Retinal scan initializing. All individual markers catalogued, approved and secured. Personnel file pulled. Hello, Barbara Gordon. How may I be of service?"_

_"Set me as sole executor of your system and its programming, initialize all security protocols, begin downloading of Wayne Enterprises database. Sync data from my cellular device, laptop, and console to system storage."_

_"Yes, Ms. Gordon. All items in progress."_

_"Please, call me Barbara."_

_"Of course, Ms. Gordon. Information downloaded, processed, and synced to my servers. Security protocols updated."_

_"Great. I need you to get an eye on the situation in the Weapons Division once you've finished."_

_"There has been a breach in the Weapons Division. It appears that the innermost laboratory area has been compromised."_

_"Why? And how?"_

_"My scans of Mr. Wayne's messages to Mr. Pennyworth indicate some sort of alien byproduct was delivered this morning to Wayne Enterprises. I would assume that is the cause of this commotion. As to the who, I am scanning the security footage as we speak and running all faces through the Gotham City Police Department database."_

_"SHIT!”_ Barbara saw herself jump back towards the wall. _“What was Bruce thinking, bringing something like that here?"_

_"I have identified some of the intruders, Ms. Gordon. Frank Legetti, former SEAL, wanted for illegal weapons racketeering on the black market. Clyde and Wilson Marchette, thugs-for-hire, recently paroled. There are several other men in masks that appear to be guns for hire. However, I believe I have identified the leader."_

_"Lay it on me."_

_"A Jerome Napier, convicted felon, who recently escaped from Arkham Asylum."_

Her face on the screen paled. _"It can't be."_

_"I'm afraid so, Ms. Gordon. The Joker is in the building."_

_"A.L.F.R.E.D., where is Wayne Security?"_

_"It appears, Ms. Gordon, that there are no members of the Wayne security detail on site."_

_"Okay, first things first. What does the Joker want with alien byproduct?"_

_"It is apparently of unknown origin. Mr. Wayne indicated in his emails they were hoping to utilize it as an energy source, although none of the previous research suggests that it's possible.”_

_"And so he delivers it to the Weapons Division, thinking that it'll be safe there behind the millions of dollars he's spent on building security."_

_"In Mr. Wayne's defense, he had no way of knowing the Joker would have escaped Arkham."_

_"Still, Bruce is smarter than that. Unless - "_

_"Unless Mr. Wayne intended for it to fall into the Joker's hands - "_

_"And that's why he invited everyone to the Wayne gala. To make sure the building was empty. It's the only one that makes sense. Are there any other Wayne employees in the building?"_

_"I'm afraid, Ms. Gordon, you are the only one."_

_"A.L.F.R.E.D., do you have access to the tests on the byproduct?"_

_"Yes, Ms. Gordon."_

_"What do they indicate?"_

_"I'm pulling them open now. This byproduct's only known characteristic is the massive explosion that occurs every time it comes in contact with organic material."_

Barbara felt Thor’s eyes on her. She turned to look at him and nodded solemnly. Exhaling quickly, he turned his attention back towards the screen as past-Barbara moaned. _"He's trying to kill the Joker."_

_"Ms. Gordon, I would advise you to get out of the building."_

_"I couldn't agree more. I'll need you to help me navigate out."_

_"All security cameras are up and running, Ms. Gordon."_

_"Can you get me an audio feed into the Weapons Division?"_

_"Forming connection. Audio feed stabilized."_

**_“She's here,”_** Jerome’s voice echoed through the conference room again. ** _“My sweet little bat is too good to abandon her work. Come out, come out, wherever you are!”_**

The video stopped playing. “Initializing Gotham City Public Television broadcast, 21:00 hours.”

A blonde haired woman was appeared on the screen, gesturing at what looked like a never-ending cold front moving in on Gotham City when the footage suddenly flickered. It was Jerome, and Barbara felt Barry’s hand flex as if on instinct. **_"Good evening, citizens of Gotham! Long time no see! Well, as "long" as time could be, since time is more of a theoretical construct, a way of being, of understanding the world around us and all that. Anyways, gentlemen, ladies, distinguished guests of Bruce Wayne, I welcome you all to Gotham City! I do hope you've enjoyed your stay. It's the end of the line for you._**

**_“Truly, idle hands are the devil's playground. And you, Gotham City, always try to keep me idle. The time has now come for you to experience the fruit of my work – nay, of our work. Truly, Dr. Machivel, I am indebted to you. Here's how it's going to be: I'm going to make the 73 teensy weensy little itty bitty acid bombs my friends planted around the city explode. Bring about a sort of miniature apocalypse. It will be a long, painful death, I'm sure, but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. But what will you do if everyone in Gotham is dead, you ask? Simple: remake Gotham City in my image. Harvey Dent, Commissioner Gordon, Bruce Wayne, Batman – they've failed you all. They failed me. I believe it's time for a new King in Gotham. And what is a King, without his Queen?"_ **

**_"That's right folks, you heard it here first! Meet your new queen of crime - Barbara Gordon! Or should I say, Batgirl?"_ **

The camera panned away from the Joker, revealing Barbara’s now conscious form tied up against the wall.

“Fucking shit,” she heard Tony mutter under his breath.

**_"Who'd have thought that the golden girl of Gotham City had such a naughty secret? Nature is cruel, isn't it? Commissioner Gordon tried to kill me once, but I survived. So I thought, what's fair is fair, and I'll kill the person who's most important to him. And what it added bonus it was, when it realized that Jimbo's precious little girl belonged to the Batman too! Because really, you would know who that hair belonged to, even if the rest of you was gone._ **

**_"But then, my dear, you survived. You created a miracle! Restored the legs I took away from you. You were made anew. I made you anew. And when I found that out – well, I just had to get out. You and me, Batgirl, we're meant to be."_ **

**_" - Of course, if there are any remaining stragglers out there, once this little party is over, I give my men free reign to do with them as they wish. Any questions? Good, I - "_ **

She saw herself begin to wiggle. Jerome whipped around to look at her, a sickening smile on his face. _**"Barbara, my dear, how impolite of me! Wilson, please give my darling girl a hand. It's only fair that she gives her city a proper goodbye as well."**_

Wilson ripped the gag away from Barbara’s mouth. Her eyes flickered towards camera, blue and bright with unshed tears.

_"I love you. I'm so sorry."_

**_"I certainly hope you're talking about me. I'd hate to be disappointed so early on in our marriage. They're going to be gone! From now on, the only person you'll see is me!"_ **

She watched herself sneer at the Joker. _"Yes. I'll be seeing you all right. I'll see you in hell!"_

“Partyman” issued forth from the ceiling, and Barbara watched herself as she flipped out of her bonds, making her way towards the purple glow. **" _Stop her!"_**

She stopped in front of the camera and yanked the container holding the Power Gem out of its detonator. **_"Barbara, please. Put the stone down."_**

_“_ What?”

“No fucking way. No way!”

**_"Barbara! Put it down!"_ **

_"Goodbye.”_

The video ended in a flare of purple light.

“Operative Gordon’s body was not found. League recovery efforts failed. Barbara Gordon was declared dead at 3:12 A.M. the following day. Miss Gordon, would you care for me to play the funeral service?”

“No thanks, A.L.F.R.E.D.”

The lights rose in the room, and with the light came several pairs of stunned eyes, all staring at her.

“Well, you’re not dead,” Reed Richards finally spoke up. “So what happened?”

“That is where I come in,” Strange cleared his throat. “Charles and I were meeting to play chess when I felt the Eye of Agamotto react. I portaled in to find Miss Gordon lying in a pile of purple ash and the Infinity Stone seeping its way into her body. Most of the laboratory was destroyed.”

“The Joker?” Natasha interrupted, eyes flickering over to Strange.

“Alive, and presently unaccounted for,” Constantine contributed. Natasha swore under her breath in Russian.

“In any case, there has been no known case of the Power Stone finding and fully integrating with a vessel. So, I brought Barbara to the Mansion, and after a few days she was fully stabilized.”

“Our scans show the stone has centralized itself at the base of her spine,” Hank interrupted, “probably due to the gunshot wound she sustained at sixteen.”

“We were planning on keeping Barbara at the Mansion, but -"

“SITCOM.”

“Yes, Stark. If only you weren’t such a genius,” Strange snarked back at him.  “We decided the best course of action would be to hide Barbara in plain sight, well within the radioactive emissions of the Eye.”

“We would have figured it out eventually.”

“Yes, but the longer we could hold our cards close to our chest on this, the better.”

“So you’ve been operating Oracle? Ever since you arrived?” Bruce interrupted, turning to look at Barbara.

“Yep! Well, A.L.F.R.E.D. and I."

“Why the job at Stark Coffee?” Tony asked, turning towards her as well.

She shrugged. “A certain artificial intelligence told me that studies show that it is imperative for a sense of happiness and contentment with one's life that a human has at least three meaningful interpersonal interactions a day. And I hacked SHIELD and read through your files, so I was curious. I just sort of fell into the whole job thing.”

“You HACKED SHIELD?”

“How long did it take?”

“Really, Stark?”

“Hey, I’m just curious!”

“Twenty-three seconds.”

Tony slammed his fist on the table. “Damn it! FRIDAY, take note, we need to up our game.”

“REALLY?”

“Honestly, Tony, now isn’t the time -”

“So now what?” Fury finally spoke, eyes glued on Barbara. “What’s your game plan now?”

Her eyes flickered towards Constantine. “I’m not sure.”

“It’s like what Vision said earlier,” Constantine began to speak, “Earth-1 wasn’t meant to house the Power Stone. As long as it’s a part of her, she needs to be in this reality.”

“How long do you think that’ll be?”

Constantine’s eyes grew sad. “The rest of her life, I imagine.”

Barry swore, jumping to his feet. “Then we find a way to get it out of her.”

“I’m sorry?”

“To attempt to remove the Power Stone would be too dangerous. I have tangled with it before, mortal, and I would not do so recreationally,” Thor thundered.

“No, this is bullshit -”

“Barry -”

“We almost lost her. AGAIN. I’m not going to -”

“Barry -”

“ - stand here and let her be fucked over by some other -”

“BARRY.” Barbara stood up and grabbed his hands. “It’s all right.”

“No, it’s not -”

“Barry -”

“After all the bullshit you’ve been through? You shouldn’t have to do this!”

“But I do!” She grabbed his face in her hands and pulled it towards hers. “I have to do this. I need to be here, to keep them safe, to keep you safe.”

His expression crumpled. “Barbara -”

“God knows what he would try to do to me, to Dad, hell, to Gotham if I went back.”

“But it’s your home!”

“Not anymore,” she shook her head, tears beginning to form in her eyes. “I don’t know why, or how, but the Stone – this happened for a reason, Barry. I’m meant to be here. And maybe someday I can come back and set things straight, but this is my life now. And I’m not going to stop fighting for it.”

Shoulders shuddering, Barry wrapped Barbara in his arms, tears streaming down his face. “I’m just – I'm so, so sorry Babs. I wish -” His throat got caught in a sob.

“I know,” she murmured, purple tears running down her own face. “I know.”

The rest of the room watched in silence as Barbara consoled the speedster. Finally, Barry pulled away and, wiping his eyes, sat back down, this time pulling Barbara into his lap.

“I have my own chair, you know,” she muttered. He completely ignored her, just hugging her close.

Clint, per usual, was the first to speak. “Well. Now what?” He turned to look at Barbara expectantly.

She shrugged. “I could go for some breakfast?”

He snapped his fingers with a grin. “I like the way you think, Gordon.”

“Well, I like the way she thinks more,” Tony interrupted. “Tony Stark, head of Stark Industries, nice to meet you,” he said, walking towards Barbara. “I’d like to offer you a job working directly with Brucie and I on R&D. You’ll get a ridiculously high salary, full benefits, optional housing, standard two-weeks PTO, and my guaranteed vote to be part of the Avengers Initiative. Thoughts?”

“STARK -”

“ - already called dibs -”

“ - think we should talk about this first?”

“ - call Pepper -”

“ - conflict of interest -”

Barry nudged her. Turning to look at him, he nodded in Tony’s direction. _Do it,_ he mouthed.

Grinning, Barbara turned back towards Tony, stood, and took his outstretched hand in her own. “I accept.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY. GOD. This chapter was AWFUL to write. I really wanted to incorporate a lot of the Marvel characters into the story, but I have so many to work with right now that it's incredibly overwhelming to write dialogue OR an exposition-heavy chapter. Thankfully, this should be the last exposition heavy chapter of the story, so we can get back into those relationships - especially Barbara and Steve!
> 
> I want to apologize for not uploading sooner - I've been so overwhelmed at the prospect of writing this chapter - and it's 6000 words long - so I sort of procrastinated on this one. I have been working on several other unpublished stories - one in The Hobbit fandom, and a few in HP - so I actually have been working a lot, just not publishing them. Let me know what you'd prefer - would you like to see me start uploading those stories as well, or would you prefer for me to upload them AFTER I finish Valkyrie? And don't worry, I will absolutely be finishing Valkyrie and Queen of Hearts (and the sequel to Valkyrie Rising, which I've been planning as long as this fic). Let me know what you think!
> 
> Finally, thanks for sticking with me and this story! I feel like the end is finally in sight, and I'm really proud of how far I've grown and developed over the process of writing this story. Let me know what you think of the chapter, and don't worry - Steve and Barbara are gonna resolve their issues soon, and Thanos the Purple Dinosaur is only a matter of chapters away!


	27. Movin' Out

Pepper shut her eyes and began massaging her temples with both thumbs. “Okay, let me get this straight: there is such a thing as alternate universes -”

“Dimensions -” 

“Whatever. There’s such a thing as alternate dimensions, and our barista is from one of them.”

“Correct."

“Loki doesn’t have magic anymore and is being sent to this alternate dimension to work through his issues.”

Thor nodded decisively. “Lady Xanadu has seen many ages of their universe. The Hellblazer believes she can help him heal.”

“And said barista slash Steve’s ex-girlfriend, whose name is actually Barbara Gordon and who is from that same alternate dimension created an artificial intelligence, has been spying on us for months now, has some alien power thing embedded in her spine, and you want her to be part of the team.” Pepper glanced up, sighing as she met Tony’s excited gaze. “Is that everything?”

Tony, Steve, Natasha, Clint, Bruce, and Thor were having a sidebar meeting with Pepper during the break. Richards and company had peaced out soon after Barbara’s presentation, as did Peter and Wade, and the rest of the meeting’s guests were currently helping themselves to a catered brunch. Xavier and Strange were still arguing with Fury and Hill, which gave the Avengers an opportunity to steal away and meet covertly with Pepper before they got back to negotiating.

“The important things,” Tony said placatingly.

Natasha shot him a look. “She has some trauma -”

Clint snorted. “That’s an understatement.”

“ - but Xavier verified her story for us,” Natasha finished, kicking Clint in the shin. “She’s an ally.”

“And if Strange is right about these Stones or what not, we’ll need all the help we can get,” Bruce cut in slowly. 

“The doctor is right,” Thor broke in. “And let us not forget that she is capable of wielding Mjolnir. That alone warrants my trust.”

“So we’re all in agreement then,” Tony nodded confidently. “Pepper, get legal to draft some contracts, I want her signed with R&D as soon as possible -”

“Hold on, pause,” Pepper held up her hand. Her gaze swept over towards Steve, who was consciously avoiding everyone’s gaze. “Steve. Are you on board with this?”

“If her presence here would cause you too much pain, Captain, I would be more than happy to escort the Lady Gordon to Asgard. She would be safe there amongst my people.”

Sighing, Steve ran a hand over his face. “No, Thor, it’s - it’s fine.” He looked over at Pepper and nodded hesitantly. “It’s fine.”

One of her finely-shaped eyebrows quirked itself at him. “Are you sure?”

Steve nodded again, more confidently this time. “I’m sure.”

“Okay,” Pepper exhaled deeply. “I’ll get legal on the line.”

\--

Barbara shoved her fork in front of Barry’s face. “Want a bite?”

Barry nodded, and Barbara shoved the small bit of strawberry crepe into his mouth. “Thanks,” he replied, chewing loudly.

“If I can have your attention please,” Fury cleared his throat loudly. Rolling her eyes, she turned her attention back towards the front of the room as the Avengers took their seats.

“If we’re going to come to some sort of agreement, I have some conditions,” Fury began, alternating between glaring at Strange, Constantine, and Barbara herself.

Tony stuck his hand up in the air. “Objection, your honor!”

“What is it now, Stark?”

“As of three days ago, the Avengers is an autonomous and international organization, untethered to any global government,” Tony practically sang, beaming at Fury. “And that means you have no say in this at all.”

“EXCUSE ME -”

“ - started this initiative, and if necessary, I will end it -”

Whirling around in his chair, Tony nodded at Strange. “Stephen, if you please -”

Smirking, Stephen snapped his fingers, and Fury, Hill, and Coulson disappeared from the room.

“Wait, what the hell, man?” Clint said, jerking backwards in his chair. “Where did you send them?”

“Disneyland.”

“Oh, you’re evil, and I like you.”

“Boys, let’s focus, please.” Natasha interjected sharply. “The sooner we get this done, the better. Ororo,” she turned in her chair so she was facing Storm and the other X-Men, “let’s start with you. What items do you have to bring to the table?”

Ororo nodded, turning to look at Xavier briefly. “We are planning on making a concerted push for cooperative alliance status with the United Nations now that the Avengers Initiative has passed through. Could we count on you for your support?”

“You've got my vote,” Tony spoke up quickly. “It’s like I always say, the weirder, the better!”

“You never say that.”

“Yeah, well, there’s a first time for everything, Romanoff. And Stormy Weather, if you need any help with the legal stuff, just get in touch with Pepper, we’ve got the best legal team in the business.”

“Your team has been a great help these past few weeks,” Steve spoke, nodding at Ororo respectfully. “You will have my vote for this endeavor.”

“Mine as well.”

“And mine.”

Natasha elbowed Clint – again – who winced and began massaging his arm. “What the hell, why not?”

“As a citizen of Asgard, I am uncertain if I warrant a vote, but if I do, you have it.”

Ororo smiled softly, bowing towards the Avengers. “You have my thanks.”

“No problemo princess,” Stark shot a lazy grin in her direction. “Anything else?”

“There is the matter of Sergeant Barnes,” Xavier began, nodding towards Bucky. “He’s spent the last few weeks with Jean and I in intensive mental recalibration therapy. I believe that it would be for the best, at this point in his recovery, for him to be around familiar faces.”

Tony stiffened almost instantly. “What are you saying?”

“That with your permission, Mister Stark, Sergeant Barnes should move back into Stark Tower.”

The smile dropped off of Tony’s face. “Yeah, I’m not so sure about that -”

A pleading gleam appeared in Steve’s eyes, and suddenly Barbara didn’t feel hungry anymore. “Tony, please -”

“Look Rogers, I just don’t feel comfortable sleeping in the same building as the guy who murdered my parents, all right?”

“But it wasn’t him -”

“Yeah, well maybe not technically, but he wears that guy’s face -”

“It’s all right, Stevie,” Bucky spoke up quietly, grabbing hold of Steve’s arm. “I’ll find someplace else.”

“Like hell you will!”

“How about this,” Natasha spoke loudly, interrupting Steve’s tirade. “We let Barnes move into the Tower ON THE CONDITION THAT -” she raised her voice, speaking over Tony’s sputtering, “he remains under constant video surveillance, his access to the Tower is restricted to Steve’s quarters unless he’s in the presence of an approved escort, and that he meets with Sam daily in addition to working with Xavier and Jean.”

Steve turned to look at Natasha. “Don’t you think that’s a little much?”

She shrugged, eying Barnes coolly. “It’s what they did with me.”

Bucky met her gaze and nodded slowly in reply. “If Stark agrees, then it’s all right with me.”

Natasha, Steve and Bucky pivoted back towards Tony. Sighing, Tony rolled his head back against his chair. “Fine. But I want both A.L.F.R.E.D. and FRIDAY on him at all times, you got that?”

“Of course, Mister Stark.”

“You got it, boss!”

“Wonderful!” Xavier grasped his hands and shook them in Tony’s direction. “Thank you for your assistance, Mister Stark. James, if you don’t mind returning with us, we will help you move your belongings into the Tower tomorrow.”

Bucky stood up, squeezed Steve’s shoulder comfortingly, and made his way back towards the X-Men. Xavier motioned for Strange to begin casting, and a golden portal appeared. “Until tomorrow, then.” With one final smile in their direction, Xavier turned and wheeled his way through the portal, the X-Men quickly filing after him. As soon as Logan crossed over, the portal disappeared, and suddenly Barbara found herself the center of attention.

“So, John Constantine,” Clint began, eyes peeling away from Barbara to look at the  _still smoking_ Hellblazer, “what about you? Besides the obvious, I mean.”

Smirking, Constantine exhaled a puff of smoke before extinguishing his cigarette on the glass table. “Loki’s safely ensconced in the sanctum with Xanadu. I wouldn’t worry about him if I were you. Now, about Wanda and Pietro -”

Tony frowned. “Sorry, who?”

“The other speedster and the witch? They were the two assets recovered by Xavier's team in Sokovia.”

“Wait, they were with you? In your dimension?” Bruce asked, leaning across the table.

“Yep,” Constantine replied with a pop of the “p” consonant. “Now, Pietro’s only had two weeks at S.T.A.R. Labs, so I’d recommend that he spend a bit more time with us under Barry’s tutelage. We trained Wanda in our warp room, so she’s had about two years' worth of experience with magicks. I’d feel more than comfortable with her returning here.”

“Really?" Strange asked surprised. “Huh. I didn’t expect you to think of that.”

“In any case,” John leaned his elbows on the table, pointedly ignoring Strange, “as long as you’re getting new tenants, Mister Stark, I think she should take up residence here as well. She’d benefit from working with Vision,” he said, nodding at the android who was seated next to Tony. “Your powers come from the same place, and she has questions about them that we can’t help her answer.”

Vision nodded slowly before turning to look at Tony. “If it would not inconvenience you, I think her presence here would be most fruitful.”

“Why not?” Stark sighed. “Everyone else is moving in!”

“And speaking of that,” Constantine continued, “what would you prefer in her case?” He nodded towards Barbara.

She cleared her throat nervously. “For the record, I’m totally happy in my brownstone -”

“Oh, no, she’s moving in, that’s for sure.”

“Really?” Barbara and Constantine spoke in unison.

“It’s like I said, when you work for Stark Industries, you get optional housing – well, except in your case, housing is mandatory, because if you think I’m letting you run around New York City with desperate and greedy Justin Hammers running amok -”

The doors to the conference room slid open and Pepper walked into the room, the clack of her heels echoing on the floor. “Tony, please don’t harass our newest employee  _before_ we’ve had a chance to hire her.”

“Right, sorry, I’ll save that for after.” 

Groaning, Pepper tore attention away from Tony. “Miss Gordon, hi,” Pepper said, turning her best CEO smile on at Barbara. “I’ve had legal draw up your contract. Your starting salary will be at $180,000 annually -”

“Wait, what?” Clint shoved himself closer to Pepper. “How do I get hired to work in R&D?”

“You’ll need more than the fake GED you gave Phil,” Natasha rolled her eyes.

“ - our full medical insurance package plus dental and eye care, optional company housing which is in this case mandatory and on-site, and standard two-weeks PTO, noting that any Avengers-related emergencies do not count, and that you can take additional time off should the need arise.”

“You’re signing this with the understanding that you also need to respond to all Avengers-coffee-related-emergencies,” Clint cut in. “Just so we’re clear.”

Natasha whacked Clint again. “Ow, woman, seriously?”

Pepper cleared her throat, holding the contract and a Stark Industries pen out towards Barbara. “Now, if you’ll just sign here -”

Barbara took Pepper’s proffered pen and quickly signed the contract. “Wonderful,” Pepper beamed at her, “I’ll have this sent down to legal right away.”

“Oh, and actually, we just need one more signature,” Tony said, pushing another stack of legal papers in her direction. 

Frowning, Barbara picked up the top paper. “Consent of Child to Adoption and Waiver of Notice of Adoption Hearing?”

“TONY!”

“What? She’s brilliant like me and a red-head like you, and she feeds herself and everything! Honestly, Pepper, it’s a great idea.”

“She’s twenty-six!”

“And your point is -”

Pepper snatched the form out of Barbara’s hands. “Sorry about that, Barbara.”

“Yeah, no worries, kiddo, we’ll get her to cave eventually.”

“Barton?”

“I’m on it.” Leaping across the table, Clint tackled Tony to the ground, and the two men began wrestling their way around the conference room.

“We’ll plan on you moving in tomorrow then.” 

Clint and Tony knocked themselves into Thor’s chair, who, wrapping an arm around a protesting Steve Rogers, dropped onto the dogpile. 

“Well, I'm glad that's settled,” Constantine chuckled. Strange just groaned despondently, shaking his head. “We’ll have Wanda here at the same time, Miss Potts.”

“Wonderful! And please,” the CEO daintily sidestepped the dogpile of men as they rolled their way towards the exit of the conference room, “call me Pepper.”

\--

“That should be the last of – Logan, careful! That’s the expensive stuff!”

Growling, Logan turned to look at a smirking Raven. “Anyone else getting a sense of déjà vu?”

Barbara snatched the box out of his hands, handing it to Barry, who began quickly assembling her ORACLE station on the far wall. “Relax, Canada, you’re off duty now. Oh, and I had another box of your Chilean blend mailed to the Mansion.”

“Thanks Red,” Logan grumbled, letting himself be hugged by Barbara – again – before making his escape back into the foyer, Raven hot on his heels. 

“Hey, why does Wolvie get the treats?” Wade complained from the doorway. “I’ve been here since four A.M.!”

“We both were,” Peter whined, lying flat across the floor. “Seriously, Wade, I’m breaking up with you.”

“Well, I wanted to make sure we were on time, and technically according to French law we’re married now -”

“Wait, just because of the thing with the baguette –”

“Stop, stop, stop, I really don’t want to know!” Barbara waved her hands in the air. “Look, I still don’t know why you were here eight hours early, but I was planning on giving this to you anyways.” Walking over to Peter, she waved a small envelope in his face. “Here. Open it.”

Groaning, Peter pushed himself up into a sitting position and snatched the envelope out of his hands. “I swear, if it’s another coupon for Denny’s, I’ll -” his words faded almost immediately as he gaped at the piece of paper in his hands. 

“What is it? Let me see, let me see, let me -” Wade’s voice faded too as he read the paper. “I, Barbara Allen, the undersigned grantor, for a valuable consideration, receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, do hereby remise, release, convey and forever quitclaim to Peter Parker the following described real property in the City of New York City, County of New York, State of New York -”

“It’s the deed to my brownstone,” she interrupted with a smile. “Wade has the one next door, but I figured you might like your own place, and honestly, it’s the least I could do -”

Barbara blinked and suddenly found her arms full of crying mercenary. “This is just the sweetest thing, Blossom, thank you, thank you, thank you!” Leaning in, Wade planted a wet kiss on Barbara’s face before prancing away, hugging a flushed and shaking Peter Parker in his arms.

“Barbara, really, you don’t have to do this -”

“I know, but I wanted to. Besides, I’m not going to get any use out of it anymore, and someone has to keep an eye on those fruit bats.”

Peter’s face broke into a bright grin and he nodded at her happily. “Of course. Thank you so much, Barbara.”

“Don’t mention it, honestly.”

“Petey, let’s go get your things and move in RIGHT NOW, nice to meet you Speedy, we’ll see you around, TO THE LOVE NEST!” And with that, Wade – carrying Peter – dashed out the door.

“That was really nice, Babs.” Barry’s arm wrapped around her shoulders.

“What are friends for?” She replied with a shrug.

Grinning, Barry kissed her on the cheek before scooping her up into his arms. “Let’s head upstairs, shall we?” With that, Barry jumped into a sprint, and in the blink of an eye Barbara found herself in the Avengers kitchen space.

“Hey you two! How’s the lab looking?” Tony asked from behind the newly-installed espresso machine. Clint, Natasha and Thor were huddled around him, watching his progress. Bruce was sipping a cup of tea, watching as the X-Men portalled out of the room, and Steve was sitting next to Bucky and someone Barbara guessed was Sam Wilson at the dining room table. The new redhead, Wanda, was sequestered on the couch between Darcy and Jane, Vision floating behind them as if he was playing guard dog. The occupants of the room turned to look at Barbara and Barry when they appeared, and Barbara felt a pit of anxiety bubble up in her stomach.

Thankfully, she was  _quite_ the actress. “Great, thanks to Barry!” 

“What can I say? When things need to be done, I do them -”

“DON’T SAY IT -”

“A flash.”

 “I hate you so much."

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say.”

“Well, I for one am glad to hear it’s done,” Constantine interrupted, stepping into the room with Strange on his heels. “It’s time we head back.”

Barbara’s face fell. She turned to look at Barry, who was gazing at her sadly. “Barr -”

Surging forward, the speedster wrapped her up in a tight hug. “I’ll miss you, Barry.”

“Me too, Babs. I’ll come visit whenever I can.”

“Actually, speaking of visitors,” Bruce cleared his throat, “do we need to be worried about anyone else coming through that portal?”

“Yeah, I was going to ask about that,” Tony spoke up. “Since you’re going to be staying with us for the foreseeable future, it's only fair that we should know just who else might find their way over here. You have info on potential rabble-rousers, right?”

“I can assure you, Stark, no one from another dimension could come through without my knowledge,” Strange volunteered. “It is nothing to concern ourselves with.”

“No, actually, I think it’s a good idea,” Barry began slowly.

Constantine actually gaped at Barry. “Really?”

“Yeah,” he nodded slowly. “Yeah, you should show them the files.”

Tony clapped his hands together. “Great!”

“On one condition.”

“Damn it.”

Barry turned back towards Barbara. “I give you some time to get settled here, and after a month or so, we bring Jim through.”

Frowning, Barbara pulled herself away. “What? No!”

“Barbara, he deserves to know -”

“No, he deserves to be safe!”

“He’s suffering, Barbara -”

“It’s too much of a risk!”

“I won’t tell anyone! Constantine won’t tell anyone! And if he knew the truth, I’m certain your dad wouldn’t tell anyone! Why are you being so stubborn about this?”

“Because I’m less of a burden to my father when I’m dead!” 

The foyer fell silent, with the exception of a muttering Tony Stark, who had just dropped a screwdriver on his head and was swearing vociferously under his breath.

Barry was totally oblivious to the murmuring. He was totally focused on Barbara, and the expression on his face was one of anguish. “Barbara, God – you're not a burden.” He rushed forward, pulling her back into a hug. “You were never a burden.”

Her laugh was coarse. “That’s a lie and you know it, Allen.”

He sighed, running his hands over her hair. “Look, things were shitty back then, and by back then, I mean, like, three months ago, but it’s hell back home. For all of us. We’re all suffering, but your dad – it's the worst for him. And I know bringing him won’t be easy, but please, Barbara, for his sake. He’s your father, and he deserves to know the truth. No matter how painful it is.”

Sighing, Barbara dropped her head into Barry’s chest. She lifted up an arm and waved it towards the Avengers. “If it’s all right with them.”

Barry turned to look at Tony, who had a pained expression on his face. Clint nudged Tony in the side and, coughing, he nodded. “I don’t - I – yep, yeah, sure, whatever.”

Nodding sharply, Barry rested his head on top of Barbara’s. “Deal.” With one final squeeze, Barry extricated himself from Barbara’s arms and dropped a kiss on top of her head. “It’s gonna be okay, Babs. It’s gonna be okay.”

Barbara nodded, forcing herself to smile as Barry stepped away. “You stay safe, you hear?”

Snorting, Barry shot an authentic grin in her direction. “Always.” He stepped around her and, grabbing hold of Constantine’s arm, gave Barbara a quick salute. “See you in a month!”

Constantine snapped his fingers, and the two men disappeared in a flash of light.

The room was silent afterwards. Barbara could practically feel the stares coming from the kitchen. 

“Your boxes are in your room, right?”

Startling, Barbara turned and saw a determined-looking Darcy stalking towards her. “Yes?”

“Great, let’s go unpack! Jane, you order the Chinese food, Vision, you and Wanda go get some desserts, Bruce, I want two tea lattes, like, yesterday, and Barbara, you’re with me.” Darcy grabbed hold of Barbara’s arm by the wrist and led her out of the kitchen towards the elevator bank. “FRIDAY, pull up some indie pop or something, we’re gonna have a party.”

“Of course, Miss Lewis.”

“I -” Darcy had all but thrown Barbara into the elevator. 

“Darcy?”

“Okay, so Jane and I might have been spying in on that whole meeting thing, and I just want you to know that we both totally support you and think you’re amazing and I mean, I wanted to be best friends before, but we totally have to be best friends now.”

Barbara’s eyes widened as she stammered at Darcy. “I, uh – that sounds great, actually.”

Darcy grinned at her, grabbing both of Barbara’s hands and squeezing. “Really?!”

Relaxing, Barbara chuckled. “Really.”

Squealing, Darcy all but shoved Barbara back out the elevator doors, which had just opened onto a mostly-empty floor. The floors were covered with a reclaimed hard wood which felt smooth and cool underneath her bare feet. The walls were painted a warm off-white color with a few pieces of simple furniture to match, and as she looked at the space in front of her, she grinned. “Yeah, I could get used to this,” she murmured to herself.”

 “Okay, so the food probably won’t be here for a while – we order it in all the way from Queens – so let’s focus on getting you unpacked and then you can tell me everything about yourself.”

The elevator doors slid open again Clint stepped out, an exasperated Jane on his heels. “Easy, Darcy, we don’t want to scare her off  _before_ she’s promised us her firstborn son.”

“Oh right, right, after, got it.”

Barbara shot a look at Jane. “Firstborn son?”

Jane groaned, pushing past Clint. “Ignore them. The food should be here in an hour or so,” she called over to Darcy, who had started dragging boxes into the center of the room. “Natasha went with Wanda to pick up the desserts.”

“Great! Where’s Vision?”

“Helping Stark try to put together the espresso machine,” Clint snorted. “It’s not going well.”

“He’s a genius engineer -”

“Who can’t read Belarusian.”

“Well, nobody’s perfect.”

Rolling her eyes, Jane walked over to Barbara and gave her a quick hug. “I’m so glad you’re on our team. If you need anything, anything at all, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Thanks, Jane! That means a lot.”

“Hey, FRIDAY, how are we going on that playlist?” Darcy hollered from the center of the room. “Barbie, is this all your stuff?”

“Yeah,” Barbara called back, walking towards Darcy – and Clint, who was staring confusedly at the large box of evening gowns she’d gotten from Wade. “I didn’t bring anything with me when I came over – besides A.L.F.R.E.D. Speaking of,” she looked up at the ceiling, “A.L.F.R.E.D.? You there?”

“Present and able to help, Miss Gordon.”

“How are you doing?”

“FRIDAY and I have reached an agreement regarding our responsibilities. While she will maintain primary control of Stark Tower, I will be available to help with basic security should the need arise. Currently, my attention is on our Overwatch protocol.”

“Great, let me know if you need anything.”

“Of course, Miss Gordon.”

“Well now that  _that’s_ settled, FRIDAY, hit it! We got some homemaking to do!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BLESS ME, READERS, FOR I HAVE SINNED.
> 
> In my defense, in the last month I've (a) moved out of my parents' house into an apartment, (b) had a complete nervous breakdown about moving out of my parents' house into an apartment, (c) broke up with my boyfriend of a year and a half because I'd rather not date someone controlling anymore, thanks, and (d) been working on a bunch of other ideas simultaneously. Don't worry, I WILL finish this dang story (and it's sequel) if it's the last thing I do; there's just so much going on in Valkyrie I can get overwhelmed sometimes.
> 
> In penance, I offer to you a fluffy Barbara Gordon/Bruce Wayne oneshot entitled "Cruisin" that I wrote a few months ago for your enjoyment. It's complete and utter AU Batgirl fluff with a hint of Harley/Ivy, and it makes me happy :)
> 
> Also - thoughts on a potential Barbara/John Constantine Legends of Tomorrow crossover fic?  
> Also - I'm super excited about this Barbara/Tony Stark idea I've had  
> Also - I'm probably going to end up writing fics for Barbara with all dem heroes. So welcome to the next five years of my life!
> 
> Thank you all so much for your comments and kudos, your love makes me so happy :)


	28. Getting to Know You

"Earth to Captain America! Hello! Anybody home?” Sam Wilson stuck his hand in front of Steve’s face, waving it back and forth.

Nothing. 

The man had been suspiciously silent ever since the newcomers left the lounge, his eyes glued to the elevator bank. Normally, Sam would think he was quietly taking in the conversation around him, but Steve was glaring at the machinery with an intensity that was starting to make his therapist-brain alarms go off.

“STEVE!” Sam yelped as Bucky’s fist slammed down onto the table. Steve practically levitated off of his chair at the sound, turning to face Bucky with a glare.

“Damn, man, what the hell?” Sam squeaked.

“Buck -”

“What the hell’s your problem, Stevie? You've been glaring at that elevator for the last twenty minutes.”

Steve pushed himself back from the kitchen table. “It’s nothing.”

“Oh, really? It’s nothing?”

“Yeah, you’re full of shit, dude,” Sam jumped in, eying Steve suspiciously. “Seriously, what’s up?”

“It’s nothing,” Steve pushed out through gritted teeth.

“Yeah, and I’m sure it has nothing to do with Steve’s ex-girlfriend being on the team,” Tony snorted out from behind the espresso machine. “Seriously, Wilson? I’m surprised you  _didn’t_ know. He’s been moping around the Tower for the last three weeks.”

“Wait, hold up, ex-girlfriend? What the hell, man? When did that happen?”

Steve stood up and slammed his chair into the kitchen table. “Just drop it, all right?” Whirling on his heel, Steve all but sprinted out of the kitchen.

“Damn. What happened?”

“The course of true love never did run smooth, Big Bird.”

\--

"Are you sure you don’t want to join us for game night?” Darcy asked with a pout. Darcy, Barbara and Jane had just finished dinner – Clint had escaped Darcy’s clutches once they’d finished unpacking, and the three women had spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening organizing and chowing down on the best Chinese Barbara had  _ever_ tasted.

“I’d love to, but not tonight,” Barbara replied with a slight smile. “I’m just really tired from all of this, and -”

“No worries, we totally understand,” Jane cut in decisively, shooting Darcy a  _look_. The raven-haired beauty sighed despondently, but allowed Jane to steer her out of Barbara’s apartment. “Sleep well, Barbara!”

“Thanks, you too!” Barbara waved happily at the pair, only ceasing the motion once the door to her apartment shut with an audibly click.

Barbara exhaled deeply, leaning back against the Tony-Stark-approved-sofa and slumped. “Yikes,” she mumbled to herself.

“Is everything all right, Miss Gordon?” A.L.F.R.E.D.’s voice piped through the speakers.

She sighed again, dropping her head into her hands. “Yeah, it’s just – it's been a lot, A.L.F.R.E.D.”

“Would you like to talk about it? Research shows that talking through your emotions is one of the best means of processing -”

“Yeah, I know,” she interrupted quietly. “I guess – it's just -” Groaning, she pulled the elastic out of her hair, coming her fingers through the smooth strands. “This has all just happened so fast. One minute, I’m just me, and then the stone, and then here, and then Steve – and then we were done, and now I’m here, and now he knows, and – I don’t know how to do this. I don’t know how to live like this, here, with him, and not – I just don’t know, A.L.F.R.E.D.”

The AI was silent for a moment before responding. “You will do this the way all humans must.”

“Really? And how is that?”

“One day at a time.”

A sharp laugh burst out of Barbara’s chest. “That’s exactly what Alfred would say if he was here.”

“Wisdom runs in the family.”

Barbara smiled, looking up at the ceiling. “Thanks, A.L.F.R.E.D.”

“It is my pleasure, Miss Gordon.”

\--

Barbara was up and moving before the sun the next morning. She’d slept fitfully the night before, and finally gave up on rest at 4:45. One long shower and two homemade souffle omelets later, Barbara was dressed and ready to find the private Avengers gym. She’d opted for one of her black and grey exercise sets – leggings, sports bra, zip up hoodie included – and thrown her hair into a comfortable ponytail. In fact, she was taking a final look at her hair when a face appeared behind her in the mirror.

“Miss Gordon -”

“AHH!” Barbara screamed, whirling around to find herself looking at a slightly sheepish Vision. “Vision!” She gasped, throwing her hand across her chest. “Oh my God, that scared the crap out of me.”

“My apologies, Miss Gordon -”

“Please, call me Barbara.”

“Yes, of course. My apologies, Barbara. I’m not quite as adjusted to my material form, I thought I was still outside -”

“Seriously,” she gasped again, waving her other hand, “don’t worry about it. What’s up?”

"I have been thinking about your predicament," he began, gesturing towards the sofa. Barbara nodded, and the pair made their way over and sat down. “After some serious contemplation, I believe that our best shot of discerning what the Power Stone intends is for the two of us to directly commune with it.”

“Commune with it?” Barbara frowned, drawing her knees up against her chest. “And what do you mean, what it ‘intends’?”

“You must realize, Barbara, that no one in existence has been capable of wielding the Stone on its own. No one has been capable of keeping its abilities in check – until you, that is. We need to make sure this is not just a temporary arrangement between you and the gem. And I, for one, will feel much safer knowing that it has your best interests in mind.” He lifted up his hand, stretching a solitary finger towards her. "May I?”

Gulping, Barbara nodded, and Vision tapped her forehead.

She blinked -

_And was surrounded by a sea of purple light. Light that seemed to whisper – but how could light whisper? But yet she heard her name, as if it was spoken by thousands of voices, by a single voice. Barbara. Barbara._

_“Barbara.”_

_Vision stood in front of her, a blinding yellow light in a sea of purple. “Are you still here?”_

_“Yes. I’m here._ _It’s beautiful. Isn’t it?”_

_“What is?” Vision’s voice asked._

_“The light.” Barbara stepped towards it, her hand outstretched. “It stretches on forever. Like the sea. Eternal, unending.”_

“ _Wait.”_

_Vision’s voice cautioned, but the light – it was so, so much._

_“It would be so easy,” she murmured, stepping closer towards it. “So easy to dive in. To just be a drop in the sea of forever. To live as this. To just be.”_

_“You don’t wish to control it? To use it for your own gain?”_

_“Control it? No, no,” she shook her head, reaching, reaching. “I don’t want to control it. I want to dissolve into it.”_

_“Then why don’t you?”_

_\--laughter, screams, why, why, what’s the point, what’s the point--_

_“_ **_What’s the point?”_ **

_She blinked, and it was her. Younger, in her first Batgirl costume, holding the remains of Jason’s_ _batmask_ _in her hands, tears streaming down her face. “_ **_What’s the point in fighting this?”_ ** _she_ _hiccupped_ _, swiping her nose with her bloodied sleeve._ **_“When it never ends? When it just takes and takes and takes -”_ **

**_“We fight because of that.”_ ** _Bruce sat down next to her, removing his own mask from his face. “_ **_Because it takes. Life takes all of us, eventually, but some things are taken before their time. We fight to make sure those times are as few as possible. But we are human, and we fail. We always have, and we always will. All we can do is pick ourselves back up and continue to fight anyways. And so, when we fight, we fight in Jason’s memory. We fight for those who cannot fight, for those who were taken too soon. We fight so the world can someday be a better place._ **

**_“That’s the point, Batgirl. That’s why we will never give up. And that’ why you will never give up.”_ **

_\--you will never give up, you will never give up--_

_“That’s why you’re worthy.”_

_Barbara blinked -_

And she was sitting in front of Vision in her apartment, purple light pouring out of her body. Vision smiled down at her, removing his hands from her face. “Incredible. You have fully bonded with the Power Stone.”

Barbara glanced down at her hands, at the violet sparkling out of her pores. She exhaled, and the light disappeared. "But what – what does that mean?” She asked, flipping her hands back over, flexing her fingers.

“It means, that for the first time since its creation, the Power Stone is in safe and capable hands.”

“Huh,” she murmured. “That’s good to know, I guess.” She looked back up at Vision. “How do I use it? Or, get it to work, when I need it?”

“The same way you breathe. It should know what you need before you consciously think it. One of the benefits of the gems. Just be careful,” he said, taking hold of her hand. “The temptation to dissolve may never fully disappear. In those moments, you must find something to hold onto. You must not allow yourself to give in to its pull. Do you understand?”

She nodded slowly, eyes dropping back to her hands.

“Excellent. Now, would you like an escort to the training room?”

\--

“ - sauna at the end of the hall on the left.” The elevator slid open onto the dimly lit training floor.

“Thanks, V.” Smiling, Barbara exited the elevator, shooting Vision a cocky salute. “Catch you later!”

Vision nodded in reply, and the elevator door slid shut. Barbara spun around with a sigh, taking in the state-of-the-art training facility. The far-left corner was a sparring pad, complete with padded walls and floors. The far-right corner held a firing range, complete with several paintball gun-looking shooting options. Directly in front of Barbara were the cardio and weight machines, and to her left, next to the water bottle refilling machine, was a solitary punching bag. The sound of grunts filled the room as a figure slammed its fists into it.

Eyebrows furrowed, Barbara towards the figure. “Hello?”

The figure whirled around to face her, and Barbara found herself staring at Bucky Barnes. He froze, eying her uncertainly.

“Good morning,” she greeted him, forcing herself to appear cheerful. “Couldn’t sleep?”

He shook his head back and forth, his eyes never leaving her.

Barbara cleared her throat, slowly stepping closer to him. “You here alone?”

“Steve an’ Sam went on a run, said it was okay if -”

“No, no, no worries. I’m just wondering if you want a spotter. Or a sparring partner.” She interrupted him. “If you’re interested, that is.”

He stepped back from the bag, eyes slowly running over her form. After a few moments, he nodded, holding out his hand. “Bucky Barnes.”

“Barbara Gordon,” she replied, shaking his hand. “Wanna take it to the mat?”

A small smirk tugged on the corners of his lips. “After you, sweetheart.”

\--

_“_ Rogers!” Tony’s voice rang out in the elevator. Steve winced at the loudness, narrowly avoiding stepping on Sam. They’d just returned from Steve’s morning run, and were planning on hitting the showers.

“What is it, Stark?”

“I’m redirecting your elevator to the training room. You’ve got to see this.”

“Training room?” Sam asked, his eyebrow furrowed. “Something wrong with Barnes?”

Heat pooled in Steve’s stomach, his insides churning. “Is it Bucky? Is he okay?”

Tony’s scoff accompanied the sound of the elevator door sliding open. “See for yourself.”

Steve sprinted out of the elevator, Sam hot on his heels. The two men ran through the slowly opening doors to the training floor, narrowly avoiding crashing into Natasha.

“Nat! What is it, what’s wrong?” Steve gasped.

Rolling her eyes, Natasha slapped a giggling –  _giggling! -_ Tony on the head before acknowledging Steve. “Nothing’s wrong.”

“Then why are we -”

“ARRRGGGHHHH!” Bucky went flying across the room, crashing into one of the padded walls. Groaning, he picked himself up off of the ground, just in time to block one of Barbara’s - were her fists  _glowing?_

_“_ Is that -”

“It sure is!” Tony giggled again, interrupting Sam’s question. 

“They’ve been at it for fifty minutes now,” Natasha cut in smoothly. “She’s clearly been trained in close combat. Her style seems to be a combination of aikido, capoeira, eskrima, judo, ninjitsu, savata and kung fu. At least, those are the discernible motions I’ve been able to gather so far.”

“And boxing,” Clint swung down from the rafters. “Girl’s got a mean left hook.”

“She’s been able to match the Winter Soldier, hit for hit,” Natasha continued, watching as Barbara spun herself onto Bucky’s shoulders and used her momentum to throw him to the ground. “Both in terms of skill and strength.”

“What are you saying?”

“That Red’s like Natasha, if Natasha was a super-soldier who also had the ability to turn objects into dust.” Clint shook his head in amazement. “Damn.”

“Any weapons training?” Sam continued, stepping past Steve. It was probably for the best; Steve couldn’t take his eyes off of Barbara, of the way she moved, of the way her eyes glowed as she pushed Bucky back, of the purplish glow at the base of her spine -

“ - let Barnes near knives anytime soon, so we’ll have to test that later.”

“Her spine,” Steve muttered lowly. “What’s with -”

“Her spine? That’s the stone,” Tony cut in, stepping to his side. “The stone’s not really a solid energy source, but it looks like that’s where it’s centralized in her body. You know, -”

“Where she was shot,” he finished grimly.

“Right.” Tony turned to look at Steve, a small frown on his face. “You all right, Rogers?”

Huffing, Steve turned on his heel, heading towards the elevator banks. “Just send Buck up when he’s done.”

“Wait, Steve -”

“Shit,” Sam swore under his breath, watching as Steve practically ran from the training room.

Sighing, Tony patted him on the back. “Don’t worry about it, Tweety. I’ve got this.”

“No, I’ve got this,” Natasha declared, following after Steve. “You three wrap things up down here. I think that’s enough training for one day.”

\--

“Say it!"

Bucky huffed, the veins in his neck bulging underneath her. “N - no -”

She dug her thighs in tighter. “Say! It!”

“Unc - cle -”

Barbara released him with a satisfied grin, backflipping off of Bucky and onto her feet. “See? That wasn’t too bad.”

Bucky inhaled greedily, panting from his prone position on the mat. He glared up at her. “For you, maybe.”

“Hey, all right, nice work, Barbie! You too, Grandpa! Now, off to the showers with you,” Tony shooed Sam and Clint towards Bucky. “And you, Miss Gordon, be ready to get down to business in twenty, we’ve got a lot of tests to run and not enough time to do it!”

Barbara grinned, wiping the solitary bead of sweat from her forehead. “Sounds good to me!”

“Excellent! Floor 93, t minus eighteen minutes. And go!”

\--

“So what you’re saying is that you fought the Winter Soldier for almost an hour and basically didn’t break a sweat?”

Barbara nodded slowly. “Yep.”

Bruce leaned back, sticking his hands into his lab coat pockets. “Huh.”

“Right?” Tony hollered from across the lab. “Yeah, no, her old suit’s not gonna cut it, but the bat-knives, those we can definitely use, Foster, write this down – I know, right Banner?”

“I need to do some tests,” Bruce murmured, nodding to himself. “Right away. Darcy, grab the electrodes.”

\--

“Okay, Babs, now, I want you to focus on that block of wood over there,” Tony pointed, clapping a hand on her bare shoulder. “Once we give you the go ahead, power up, or, whatever – basically, we want you to turn the block into ash and see what readings we get off of you. Okay?”

Barbara nodded, shoving her arms back into her exercise jacket. “Okay.”

“Great, now, one, two, three, NOW!”

Barbara shoved her right hand forward, and a beam of purple light shot forth, dissolving the wooden block – and the table it stood on – in the blink of an eye.

“Bruce, please tell me you got that!"

“I got that, all right -”

“Great, great, now, let’s see if you can focus it a  _teensy_ bit more. Lewis, grab the next wood block, let’s get this set up!”

\--

“Lewis - Lewis, what are you doing?”

Darcy groaned out from behind the computer. Barbara snickered; they’d been at this test for the last three hours. She’d finally managed to successfully isolate and destroy the items Tony dictated, which was incredibly exciting for her, but not-so-much for Darcy.

“My iPhone’s almost dead!”

“I’m sorry, did you say the words ‘iPhone’? You know this is a Stark-Tech-only household, Lewis -”

“I know, but this one has all my music, and now I can’t find the cord!”

Barbara stood up with a sigh, making her way towards Darcy. “I’m sure it’s here somewhere. Here, let me look.”

“No, no, Gordon,” Tony sang from his spot next to Bruce, “less finding, more science! Jane, go help them, please. Pepper’s given us the countdown to dinner, and I still have a few tests I want to run.”

Barbara came to a stop in front of Darcy, who was on her hands in knees in front of the computer. “How can I help?”

Darcy thrust the iPhone into Barbara’s hands. “Hold this. I need both hands to look down here.”

Shrugging, Barbara took the phone in her hands, clicking on the screen.  _7% Battery Remaining._

Something purple flickered in the corner of her eye. She glanced down to find the purple light running through the outline of her veins, towards the phone. “I wonder,” she murmured. The light flashed brightly once.

“ - the readings started up again -”

“ - hey, Red, you just do something?”

Barbara frowned, turning back to face Tony. “Yeah, I just -” She pressed the screen button again.  _Battery Status: Fully Charged._

_“_ I charged her phone,” she murmured slowly.

“I’m sorry, what was that? Did you just say -”

“I charged her phone,” she spoke again, this time louder. “I -” She glanced up at Tony, beaming widely. “I charged her phone!”

\--

“Where in the hell is he?” Pepper grumbled, making her way towards the lab. “I swear, this better be some kind of emergency, or so help me, I’ll -”

The doors to the lab slid open, and Pepper came to a complete stop, her jaw dropped.

The lab was in a complete state of chaos, papers flying everywhere, discarded coffee cups on almost every surface. The new girl – Barbara – was covered head to toe in electrodes with Tony, Bruce, Jane and Darcy huddled behind her. She touched the screen with her hands, and the lights in the lab flickered.

“Operating efficiency at 250%.” FRIDAY’s voice rang out in the lab.

Tony whooped loudly, dragging Barbara into a hug. Jane and Darcy began jumping up and down, squealing and chattering at about a million miles an hour. Bruce looked dumbstruck, muttering “I can’t believe it!” over and over again as he ran his hands through his hair.

“What the hell is going on down here?!” 

Tony whirled around to face Pepper, a bright smile on his face. “Pep, you’re here! Quick, give me your phone!”

“What? Tony, no -” He’d already snatched it out of her hands, dragging her by the wrist towards Barbara.

“Here, show her.”

Pepper protested, trying to pull her wrist from Tony’s grasp. “Really, Tony -”

“What’s your phone’s battery at right now?”

“I don’t know -”

He flicked the screen on. “43%, got it. Okay, Gordon, do your stuff!”

Smirking, Barbara, touched the screen of Pepper’s phone. Tony grinned, handing the phone back to Pepper. “Check it now.”

She frowned, wrenching the phone from his hands. “Check what now?”

“The battery, check the battery!”

Rolling her eyes, Pepper flicked on the screen and froze. “100%.”

“See?” Tony squealed, spinning in a circle. “Not only can the Power Stone be used to turn her into an indestructible super-soldier, it’s a source of perpetual energy!”

“Wait, so, what does that mean?” Pepper asked slowly, glancing up at Tony.

“The short version? An excellent fourth quarter for our shareholders.”

This time, it was Pepper’s turn to grin.

\--

“The Volt.”

Barbara paused mid-bite, glancing over at Clint. “I’m sorry?”

“Yeah, it's not great, but the Energizer Bunny's already taken -”

“No, no way, absolutely not,” Tony interrupted, swallowing the last of his lasagna. “Clint is absolutely not allowed to name her.”

“Why not?”

“You’ve already named all the pigeons, sweetie," Darcy patted him on the hand, “you have to let someone else have a turn.” The Avengers, minus Bucky, Sam, and Steve, were sprawled out around the living room floor eating dinner. Pepper was daintily perched on Tony’s lap on a rather-large leather armchair. Clint and Natasha were sharing a leather loveseat, Darcy and Bruce sat on the floor in front of them, Vision, Wanda, Strange and Barbara each had their own armchairs, and Thor and Jane were curled up on the couch.

“Why not just stick with Batgirl?” Wanda piped up, shooting a puzzled look at Vision.

“Pfft, no way,” Tony shook his head. “She needs a new name, something that gels with being here. And don’t worry, cadet, I’m still working on yours too,” he said, nodding in Wanda’s direction.

“Battery Acid?”

“AC/DC?”

“Electrode?”

“Black Sabbath?”

“First of all, we’re not naming her after random electricity-related paraphernalia, and second of all, Darcy, now you’re just naming metal bands.”

“Well, what about you, Barbara?” Pepper interrupted, turning to look at her. “Have you given your codename any thought?”

Sighing, she set down her empty plate. “Not really, no. I’ve always been either Batgirl or Oracle, and those came from Bruce.”

“Bruce?”

“The Batman,” Strange interrupted. “Did you watch the debrief from the League yet?”

“We will, once the whole team is present,” Natasha replied quietly. 

The group fell into a slightly uncomfortable silence. Well, except for Thor, who continued to chew thoughtfully.

“What of Valkyrie?” He spoke finally, mouth full of lasagna. “It has been a long time since a warrior of Midgard has taken up that name. And, as she is worthy of Mjolnir, I can think of no greater title she could bear.”

Tony clapped his hands together before pointing at Thor. “Point Break, you’re a genius.”

“Great idea, Thor!”

“ - didn't come up with it myself -”

“ - seems obvious, now that I think of it -”

“What of it, Lady Barbara? Does it suit you?”

Barbara felt a large smile overtake her face. Turning towards Thor, she beamed at him while nodding. “I love it.”

“Excellent!” He boomed, causing Jane to tense up on his lap. "May the gods ever regard you with favor, Barbara, son of Gordon, name-bearer of the Valkyrie!”

Clint held up his beer. “Hear-hear!”

The group cheersed each other loudly. And as Barbara’s eyes swiveled around the circle, glancing at the faces of her new teammates, she felt warm inside, in spite of the glaring hole, both in the team, and in her heart.

\--

_Earlier that day_

“Rogers, wait up!”

Steve sighed, pressing his forehead against the cool metal of the elevator door. “What is it, Agent Romanoff?”

She scoffed, shoving past him into the elevator. “Cut the crap, Steve. We’re not on duty.”

Sighing again, he whirled around to face her. She stood in front of him, arms crossed, an annoyed expression on her face. “Well? What do you want?"

“You. To talk.”

The elevator dinged, signaling that they’d arrived on his floor. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

“You’re making this more difficult than it has to be. You know that, right?” 

Steve just rolled his eyes, stepping around her and into the hallway.

“You know, if you maybe opened up about what’s bothering you, things might get easier.”

“Please. You’re one to talk.”

“Excuse me?" She spoke in a dangerously low voice. He heard her steps speed up, but he ignored it, pushing ahead into his apartment. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Come on, Natasha. You hardly ever share  _anything._ If anyone should understand that I want to keep some things private, it’s you!”

“For your information, Captain,” she growled out through gritted teeth, “the only reason I don’t broadcast my private life is because I don’t have one.”

At that Steve froze. He pivoted around to look at Natasha, who wore a squeamish look on her face. “What?”

“Look, Rogers – Steve,” she corrected, her eyes peering directly at him, “until I joined S.H.I.E.L.D., I didn’t really positive life experiences to build off of. Once I broke conditioning, I had to start from scratch. Barnes is lucky; he has something from before. The Red Room was all I knew.”

“But -” he frowned, shaking his head. “But - you and Clint -”

“Were together for a while, yeah, but it wasn’t exactly a romantic relationship. He needed to rebuild just as much as I did. And,” she paused, exhaling deeply, “it’s a work in process. Being here, with all of you helps. A lot. And I’ve been learning what it’s supposed to look like, what having relationships are supposed to look like. Friendship, I’ve gotten pretty good at. But romance?” She shook her head again. “I know it when I see it, and what it’s supposed to be, but I haven’t figured it out for myself yet.”

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, dropping his eyes onto the carpet. “If I had known -”

“I don’t advertise it for a reason, Rogers.” Her voice grew slightly warmer. “Which is why when  _I_ say that you should talk about it, it means you’re far past needing to talk about it.”

Something inside crumpled. Steve leaned back against his apartment wall, sliding down it until he was seated, chest pressed against his knees. “I don’t know what to do.”

Wordlessly, Natasha sat down in front of him, crossing her legs in front of her. “Why do you say that?”

“Because, I -” he broke off, his eyes dropping to look down at his fisted hands. “When I ended things with her, I didn’t give her a choice in the matter. I thought – once SHIELD went down, I knew that if I let anyone into my life, civilian or otherwise, they’d be in danger. And no matter how much I liked her – really, really liked her – it was my job to keep her safe. But then -” he waved his hand around, gesturing at the Tower, “this happens, and I find out that she knew about all of this all along, and what she hid from me – but can I even be mad? She just did the same thing I did, to keep me safe. So, no, I can’t be mad.” He leaned his head back, thudding it against the wall, tears welling in his eyes. “And after everything she’s been through – and she’s here – and I don’t know what to do.”

Natasha scooted closer towards him, clasping his hand in hers. “Have your feelings changed?”

Steve shut his eyes.

“Then maybe you should try talking to her.”

“I could barely talk to her before,” he groaned, rubbing his eyes with his free hand. “And now – I just don’t know.”

“So what? Do you want her to leave?”

“No. I just – I don’t want to feel this. Not again.”

Natasha was silent for a moment. “Well, when you figure out how to turn off bad feelings, let me know,” she murmured.

Steve snorted, but he didn’t let go of her hand. They just sat there, silently, watching the sun rise over the city.


	29. Back to You

“Man, I can’t believe it’s already been a week.”

Barbara grinned, carefully slicing into the tray of brownies Darcy had just pulled out of the oven. “You’re telling me. It feels like just yesterday I was still in the brownstone.”

“Yeah, speaking of, how are things with Wade and Peter?”

“Good,” she nodded, cutting the large squares into more manageable sizes. “Peter says that the fruit bats have started multiplying; they’re up to twenty-three now.”

“Twenty-three? Ugh,” Darcy shivered, shoving a brownie into her mouth. “Gross.”

Laughing, Barbara nodded in agreement. “You’re telling me. Should we walk these down to the lab?”

“Are you kidding? Then they’ll never leave! I was hoping once you showed up that they’d have better working habits, but it’s just gotten worse!” Darcy groaned exasperatedly. She grabbed another one of the freshly cut brownies and bit into it spitefully. “Seriously, you’d think they were inventing sex or something.”

Barbara snorted, barely avoiding inhaling brownie chunks up her nose. “Oh, God, please no.”

“You’re telling me. But, speaking of sex and gods,” Darcy began, scooting around the island until she was right next to Barbara, “you talk with Steve yet?”

Flushing, Barbara shook her head. “Nope.”

“Have you tried?”

“I’ve kind of been avoiding him.”

“What? Why?!” Darcy whined loudly.

Barbara turned away from Darcy and began wiping down the counters. “Because! After everything that happened, I honestly – I have no idea what to say to him, or what he even thinks of me, and – being here is weird enough with Tony and Bucky’s weird passive-aggressive-pissing-contest. I just don’t want to make things worse.”

“Well, do you still, like, have feelings for him?”

She paused, her eyes falling shut. “Yeah,” she murmured. “I hoped they’d go away, or lessen, but they haven’t. Not even a little bit."

Darcy sighed unhappily, throwing her arms around Barbara. “I’m so sorry, Babsie. Boys are dumb."

Huffing, Barbara leaned into Darcy’s hug. “Thanks, Darce. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“You and everyone else in this damn tower."

The two women burst out laughing just as FRIDAY’s voice flared to life. “Apologies, Miss Gordon, Miss Lewis, but the Avengers are being called in by the U.N.”

“Shit!” Darcy grabbed hold of Barbara’s hand and the two raced towards the elevator. “A.L.F.R.E.D., make sure the oven’s off -”

“The oven is off, Miss Lewis.”

“Perf! FRIDAY, take us to the control room.” Darcy shoved Barbara into the elevator, spinning around just as the elevator doors slid shut.

“Control?”

“It’s on the 152nd floor, next to the landing pad,” Darcy replied, the elevator suddenly flying upwards. “Our head of operations.”

“Cool, I haven't seen it yet,” Barbara replied. The elevator slowed as quickly as it started, and the second the doors slid open Darcy was pulling Barbara out and into a well-lit room. The walls were covered floor to ceiling with Stark Tech three-dimensional monitors, and in the center of the room was a circular console which Jane was currently scrambling around.

“Darcy, you’re here!” She yelled, waving Darcy over. “I need you to get them suited up.”

“You got it, boss!”

“Lewis, you see those new arrows?” Clint sprinted into the room, clad in his purple and black armor. 

“Shelf B4.”

“B4, got it!” Turning around, he sprinted out of the room towards the locker bay, Darcy at his heels.

“ - level four incident, Strange’s at the London Sanctum on standby, so we shouldn’t need the iron guard, but I’ll have Foster prep it anyways -” Tony and Natasha walked out, both fully suited up. “Gordon, great, you’re here. Do you mind running point on this one? I, for one, would love to have you out on the field, but we haven't finished designing your new suit yet -”

“No worries, I’ve got that covered. A.L.F.R.E.D., run ORACLE?”

“Initiating ORACLE, Miss Gordon. Station one is ready for your command.”

Barbara nodded at Tony, who shot her a thumbs up. “Excellent! Okay team, train leaves the station in sixty seconds, so get your asses in gear!”

Bruce and Thor walked purposefully out of the locker bay, talking animatedly to each other. Thor only paused to swiftly kiss Jane before continuing the conversation, following Tony and Natasha out of control and onto the landing pad. Vision and Wanda appeared soon after, racing after them.

“ - if you’re coming, Ice Cube, you got to get a move on!” Clint hollered as he ran, a fully suited-up Winter Soldier on his heels.

“You headed out?” Barbara asked, her eyes running over Bucky. Halting, he nodded quickly, looking slightly uncertain. “Well,” she nodded at him, “good luck.”

Relief spread across his features. “Thanks, doll,” he replied, his face settling into an easy grin.

“Okay, quit flirting, grandpa,” Sam hooted, grabbing hold of Bucky’s arm. “Let’s move! Steve, you ready?”

“Ready!” Barbara whirled around just in time to see Steve race past her, Captain America mask and all. She spun back around, holding up her hand.

“Good lu -”

The door swung shut. They were already gone.

Barbara sighed, turning to look at Darcy, who was angrily shaking her fist at the door. “DAMN IT, STEVE ROGERS!”

“Later, Darcy,” Jane scolded. Running over towards Barbara, she grabbed hold of her arm and led her to the central console. “This is Station One. A.L.F.R.E.D. said you have some experience with this sort of console?”

“Yep,” she nodded, pushing all thoughts of Steve into the back of her mind. “Just like the one in the Batcave. Granted, it’s a bit smaller -”

“I’m sorry, Batcave?” Tony’s voice crackled over the comms. “Seriously, you guys, we need to watch those files, like, tonight.”

“Agreed!”

“Thank you Lewis, the motion stands."

“We can watch them tonight,” Barbara interrupted sharply, “but let’s take care of the mission first. A.L.F.R.E.D., synthesize the information and give us a debrief, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all, Miss Gordon,” the AI whirred to life. “The Fantastic Four encountered an army of Doombots in London approximately seventeen minutes ago. However, unlike previous iterations of Doctor Doom’s army, it appears that these Doombots were constructed with a synthetic vibranium polymer, much like what was used in the reconstruction of the Batmobile’s seats.”

“Batmobile?”

“Tony,” Natasha growled, “I swear to God -”

“Right, sorry, sorry, continue.”

“Any idea if it’s the same supplier?”

“I will need a sample to confirm, but the odds are in our favor.”

“You hear that, Clint?”

“Roger that, Valkyrie,” Clint practically sang through the comms. “One corpse of a doombot, coming right up!”

“Okay, great,” Barbara turned towards Darcy. “Darcy, run social media, see what sort of information is being spread on the web.”

“You got it!” Darcy slid over to a separate monitor and began furiously typing into the keyboard. Barbara swung back around to look at Jane, who was standing over a third desk, muttering into a microphone.

“Jane, how’re the Four doing?”

“ - they’re on route, yes, I’ll let them know.” Jane turned towards Barbara. “They’ve managed to subdue the pocket of bots in Kensington and starting to push towards Belgravia.”

“I’m seeing sightings of bots all over London. It looks like they’re converging on Westminster,” Darcy called out.”

“Parliament. Great,” Barbara muttered. “A.L.F.R.E.D., find aerial drop-off points in the Marleybone, Whitechapel and Vauxhall districts. We’re going to push in towards Whitechapel, just like we did with the Tower.”

“Sending the coordinates to the Quinjet.”

“Excellent,” Barbara pulled them up on the screen in front of her. “Okay, Tony, Thor and Bruce take the Whitechapel exit and work your way in; Vision, Wanda and Sam, take Marleybone; Clint, Natasha, Bucky, and Steve, land and take Vauxhall. You four will be the closest, so the less ground you have to cover, the better.”

“The Quinjet will be arriving in London in t-minus four minutes,” A.L.F.R.E.D. chimed in.

“Great. A.L.F.R.E.D., loop the Four in on comms. Avengers, you ready?”

“Ready and steady, Barbie!” Sam replied warmly.

“I’m a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world -”

“DARCY!” Jane shrieked over the comms. “STOP SINGING THAT SONG!”

“I’m sorry, I can’t help it -”

“Aerial drop-off over Whitechapel in three, two -”

“ - Tony, you know I hate thiiSSS -” A roar echoed across the comms, causing a loud peal of feedback through Control.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the Hulk has arrived,” Tony chirped smugly.

\--

Steve rolled his eyes, stepping over to Natasha. “How close are we to Marleybone?”

“Twenty-three seconds,” she replied, turning away from the controls. “Maximoff, you okay with the drop?”

Wanda nodded, a small smile on her face. “I’m ready.”

The door bay opened up and she leapt out, Vision and Sam on her heels.

“Okay, boys, ten seconds to Vauxhall,” Natasha replied, turning around and setting the landing protocols in place. “Clint, you’re with me. Bucky -”

“With Steve, got it.”

\--

“Tony, what’s it like out there?”

“Well, they’re doombots,” he hollered back over the sound of explosions, “and they’re much, much harder to explode. Banner and Thor are having pretty good luck, though. Not even vibranium can hold up against two tons of sheer Banner girth -”

“All right, thank you Tony,” Barbara cut him off, rolling her eyes at Jane. “Wanda, Vision, Sam, how about you, how are things in Marleybone?”

“Not too shabby,” Sam called back cheerfully. “I keep ‘em in the air, Vision and Wanda blast them apart. We’ll be headed towards Westminster in no time.”

“Good, keep it up. The Four just finished up in Belgravia, they’re two clicks away from Westminster. Clint, how are things in Vauxhall?”

“Yeah, we could use some help,” Clint grunted back over the sound of metal mashing together.

“Is everything okay?”

“Oh yeah, yeah, everything’s fine -"

“We lost sight of Steve,” Natasha cut in angrily. “And he’s not answering his comms.”

Barbara’s heart thudded loudly in her ears.  _God, no._  “Bucky?”

“He’s with me,” Natasha replied quickly. “Barton, you have eyes?”

“Negative. He rushed ahead.”

“A.L.F.R.E.D., find him,” Barbara ordered, her voice cracking with panic. The screens in front of her shifted and she watched, in horror, as Steve single-handedly launched himself into a crowd of doombots who were hurling themselves at the walls of parliament.

“Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me,” she groaned. “Foster, find the neural relays to the Iron Guard.”

“Iron Guard? What are you doing?” Tony hollered back over the comms.

“Saving Captain America’s ass, that’s what.”

\--

He hadn’t been thinking. Not that it was that unusual for him to charge ahead in battle, but seeing her before he left, hearing her chirp in her ear like nothing was the matter – it was too much for him. He turned off his comms, and he charged in.

It wasn’t until he was flat against the ground, barely avoiding being pummeled in the face by three identical Doctor Doom’s, that he was thinking maybe, just maybe, that might have been a mistake -

And suddenly the doombots were lifted off him. Choking, he jumped to his feet, grabbing hold of his wayward shield in a defensive position. He squinted. “Tony?”

The suit turned back to face him. “I’m afraid not, Captain,” a familiar British voice spoke.

“Wait - A.L.F.R.E.D.?”

“At your service,” the AI replied, raising his hand cannon in time to blast the nearest doombot back. “At least, until your back-up arrives.”

“Back-up?”

“I’ve taken the liberty of turning your comms back on, Captain,” the AI replied, turning and facing the oncoming tidal wave of doombots. “I suggest they remain that way.”

“ - Rogers, do you copy?”

“Yeah, uh, I copy.”

Natasha growled something incoherent in Russian while Bucky continued to yell. “I swear to God, Rogers, you better not get yourself killed, because after that stunt, I’m planning on killing you myself, you fucking -”

“Guys, FOCUS!” Barbara’s voice snapped Steve back to attention. “We can kill Steve later. A.L.F.R.E.D., how’s the relay holding?”

“Strong and steady, Miss Gordon.” The robot began to charge the bots, and Steve quickly followed suit. “However, this suit is only at 53% functionality -”

“Barnes -”

“I’m fifty meters away from Steve’s readings -”

“A.L.F.R.E.D., just hold on as long as you can.”

“I will do my best, Miss Gordon.”

“And cover Steve’s 8:00. He always leaves that wide open.”

“What?” Steve frowned as he swung his shield at an approaching doombot. “I do not!”

“Yes, you do,” Bucky growled. “Duck!”

Steve ducked, and Bucky leapt over him, his foot connecting with the jaw of one of the doombots. “See, Rogers,” he growled, shooting Steve a look. “If you didn’t leave your eight open, things like that wouldn’t happen.”

“Bucky?” 

“He’s fine,” Bucky replied, his eyes never leaving Steve. “I’ll make sure he gets out of here in one piece.”

Steve moved to say something, but Bucky just smacked him upside the head. “Asshole.”

\--

Barbara slumped back into her chair. “Oh, thank God,” she murmured.

“Everything all right, Gordon?”

“What - yeah, no, I’m fine. Bucky’s got a lid on Steve, and Clint and Natasha are within view.”

“Excellent. Banner and Thor are just finishing up, we’re headed their way now.”

“Great. Vision?”

“We are on route as well.”

“A.L.F.R.E.D.?”

“The Iron Guard suit remains at 53% functionality.”

“Okay, return the suit to the ship and disconnect.”

“We are closing in on the final group, Barbara,” Susan’s voice spoke clearly over the comms. 

“Excellent!” Stark’s voice cut in. “I’ll take over point from here, Babs. Just stay on Overwatch and we’ll let you know if we need you.”

“Roger that.” Barbara grabbed her headset and tossed it on the floor, spinning around in her chair. “Fucking Steve, I swear to God -”

Jane and Darcy stood behind her, watching her warily. “You okay, boss?”

Barbara sighed, dropping her head into her hands. “Steve.”

“Yep! Don’t worry though, Natasha will kick his ass over this.”

She snorted, shaking her head. “And yet, I still don’t feel better.”

Darcy turned away from Barbara’s sunken form and looked at Jane. “The plan,” she whispered between her teeth.

Jane frowned at her. “What?”

“The plan!” She hissed louder.

“What plan?”

“You know, THE PLAN!”

Comprehension dawned on Jane’s face. “Oh - oh, are you sure?”

Darcy nodded exaggeratedly. “Yes!” She whispered. “Now, grab her, I’ll get it set up!”

“Barbara,” Jane started uncertainly, “let’s get some coffee. How’s that sound?”

“Overwatch -”

“A.L.F.R.E.D.’s on it, right, A.L.F.R.E.D.?” Jane asked, walking over and pulling Barbara to her feet.

“Of course, Doctor Foster.”

“Excellent! He’ll keep us posted. Until then, coffee.”

\--

Barbara moaned into her second latte. “A.L.F.R.E.D., what’s their status?”

“The Avengers are en route to the tour, Miss Gordon. Overwatch remains on standby.”

“Great, thanks,” she murmured, exiting the elevator into her apartment. Against her better judgment, Jane had convinced her of an hour-long coffee break, and by the time she’d finished her first latte, the battle was over, and the Avengers were on clean-up duty. Barbara was planning on heading back up to the control, but at Jane’s insistence – which was, again, incredibly persistent – Barbara finally conceded and allowed herself to be pushed in the direction of her apartment, “just for a quick nap,” Jane had argued.

Shaking her head, Barbara set down the coffee cup on her side table and stepped into the apartment. “A.L.F.R.E.D., set me an alarm for -”

Barbara froze.

Hanging there, right on the wall dividing the kitchenette from the living room, was a large canvas. It was covered with shades of blacks and dark blues, painted to look like a city street. The sidewalk still looked wet, reflecting the light shining off of the red “Mancini’s” sign. And there, right in the middle of the canvas, standing on the darkened sidewalk, was a beautiful girl with bright red hair, spinning around to greet the viewer as they stepped closer.

Barbara stepped towards it, eyes peering at the young woman on the canvas. “Is that -”

It was. From the navy colored-retro dress, to the vintage curls that splayed across her shoulders, it was her. And, if Barbara was looking for any further assurance, a tiny, silver bat could be seen resting on the young woman’s collarbone.

“A.L.F.R.E.D. - who -”

“Miss Lewis carried it in, Miss Gordon.”

“Yeah, but who -” Barbara glanced at the lower right-hand corner and froze.

There, in all its cursive glory, were the carefully drawn letters:  _S T E V E G. R O G E R S._

Barbara slumped to the ground, tears streaming down her face. “But - but – how – this -”

Steve. 

Steve painted this.

Steve painted this, and it was of her, and - 

That wasn’t painted by someone who just went on a couple dates with her. 

That wasn’t painted by someone who thought she was disposable.

That portrait was painted by someone who truly cared about her.

Someone who sacrificed his happiness to keep her safe.

Someone who kept throwing himself in harm’s way to protect those he cared about.

To protect those he loved.

“A.L.F.R.E.D.,” Barbara whispered, tears still streaming down her face, “how close are they?”

“Ninety-three seconds away, Miss Gordon.”

Jumping to her feet, Barbara sprinted towards the elevators, latte completely forgotten. “Get me to the control room. Now.”

\--

Steve feels restless the entire flight back. The team takes turns, starting with Natasha and Bucky, berating him for not thinking his actions through, for putting the team in jeopardy because of his actions, for not having settled whatever-this-is with Barbara, because how are they supposed to function as a team if they haven’t figured this out?

When A.L.F.R.E.D. finally, finally announces that they’ve reached the Tower, Steve is the first to his feet, ignoring the continued lecture, this time coming from Stark and Banner. He can’t find it in his heart to care. Yes, he was reckless, but it kept her out of his head. And Steve doesn’t know what to do, what to say to try and fix what they had, so he’d jump into the fray, no comms and all, if only to blink and for once not see her pained eyes staring back at her.

Because  _he_  cares. He  _still_ cares,and maybe more than he’s ever cared in his life. More than he cared for Peggy. Hell, more than he cares for Bucky. Somehow, in the mess of everything that’s happened, she’s become – well, she’s become everything. And it’s too fast and it’s too soon and yet Steve would do anything, anything, to keep just a piece of it. But after everything he’s said and done – it’s better this way. To ignore her and hope that someday it will hurt less than seeing her and knowing she could never look at him the way he looks (and  _how_ he looks, so, so often) at her.

So when the door opens, he makes his way off the ship without another word, ignoring the increasingly irate shouts of his teammates. He removes the shield from his back and continues to walk. He just needs to be alone. He just needs to sit with this for a while. Then, maybe he can pack it away for a bit. Be the Captain he’s supposed to be.

But it doesn’t work out for him like that, because the minute his foot touches the landing pad, the doors to the control bay open, and Barbara’s running at him. Fast. He blinks, and she’s skidding to a stop in front of him. He opens his mouth to greet her - 

She slaps him, hard, and for a moment he sees stars.

“DON’T YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN!”

He can only turn back towards her and blink in shock. Her red hair is almost completely undone from its typical braid, her skin is flushed as she stands there, panting at him, and her eyes are glowing – GLOWING – a bright purple light, and all Steve can do is stand there, staring, and feel his heart clench in his chest.

He should say something. He NEEDS to say something, but his mouth is dry, and his tongue feels stuck against the bridge of his mouth, and every word that he wanted to say to her retreats from his mind - 

And then she’s lunging forward, wrapping her legs around his waist, and she’s kissing him like her life depends on it, like she’s trying to extract whatever oxygen she can from his lungs, and Steve does the only thing he can do.

The shield clatters onto the ground as he wraps his arms around her, holding her securely against him as he fights to kiss her harder, to breathe her in, to completely absorb every inch of her that he can -

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, Cap, breathe!” Steve feels Tony try to yank him back, but Steve just pushes him away with one hand, tightening his hold on Barbara with the other.

Barbara, on the other hand, pulls back at the sound of Tony’s voice, her hands straining against Steve’s grasp, and her face is gloriously flushed. “Sorry, I -” she refocuses her gaze on Steve’s eyes. “Never again, you hear?” 

And she’s there, and staring at him with a look he never dreamed he’d see again, and every inch of his being is singing  _this is your chance -_

Steve nods, and he beams in spite of himself. “Yes Ma’am.”

Her eyes begin to glow again, but her smile is even brighter, and this time when she kisses Steve it’s gentle and loving and he can feel his heart race at her touch and he's drowning in her -

A bright flash draws his attention, and startling, the pair breaks off and turns in time to see Darcy tearily fanning a polaroid. “I’m just so happy!”

“Yeah, yeah, cool it, mama bear,” Clint jokes. “As much fun as it is standing outside in the freezing cold wind and watching Steve try to consume Gordon via osmosis, I could really use a shower.”

This time Steve is the one who flushes. Barbara releases her legs from around his waist and he gently sets her on the ground, but his hand holds hers firmly. Grinning, she kisses his shoulder before nodding at the people standing behind him. “Get cleaned up. We’ll meet you in the living room -”

“Because it’s MOVIE NIGHT!” Darcy sings happily. “Come on Barbie, let’s go party!”

And with that, Darcy all but drags Barbara back into the Tower, a hollering Jane racing after them. “ - KEEP QUOTING AQUA DARCY, I SWEAR TO GOD, I WILL CUT OFF YOUR SUBSCRIPTION TO BRAVO -”

He feels a hand clench on his shoulder. “Not too shabby, Rogers.” Tony winks at him as he steps out of his armor. 

Blushing, he turns to look at the rest of the group and finds Sam and Bucky grinning at him. “Our ol’ boys got some moves after all, huh Barnes?”

“I’ve seen better,” Bucky jokes, narrowly avoiding a slap from Natasha.

“Come, brethren, you heard Lady Darcy,” Thor speaks, stepping around the group. “Let us bathe and indulge in some libations!”

“Hear hear!” Clint cries, racing towards the Tower. The rest of the group follows after them, and in a few moments, only Steve and Natasha remain on the helipad.

“You okay, Cap?” He hears her asks softly. Steve turns to meet her eyes, and his heart practically sings as he nods at her.

“I am now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I. LOVE. YOU. ALL. SO. MUCH.
> 
> Seriously. I was feeling super drained after the last update, but then I got all of your sweet and wonderful comments and I just couldn't leave you all in the lurch like that before Thanksgiving. Seriously, this update is all thanks to you and your love and support. It's made a world of difference, both in my writing, and in my overall life satisfaction.
> 
> ANYWAYS, this update was a lot of fun to write once I got into it, and I'm SO SO HAPPY that Steve and Barbara are finally back together! And rest assured, there won't be anymore separations or pining from this point out. They're END GAME, people, for Rising, and for the sequel! :)
> 
> In any case, I hope that the reunion was everything you wanted it to be! If it does feel a little rushed, my apologies, but Barbara and Steve just had to get back together, and they're both fairly simple people when it comes down to relationships. Let me know if you think anything should be tweaked, and get ready, the end of Valkyrie Rising is in sight! (Sort of; I'm in the midst of writing more team bonding, and then we have Meet-The-Father going on, and then, you know, THANOS, but we're getting there :)
> 
> LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU ALL!


	30. Better Together

“That just happened, right?” Barbara asked for the third time.

“Yep,” Jane replied, popping a grape into her mouth. “And Darcy hasn’t stopped singing since.”

“Ugh, I’m so embarrassed,” Barbara groaned, dropping her head onto her arms. “I had this whole speech planned but I panicked and -”

“You kissed the star-spangled spackle out of him,” Natasha cut in, smirking at Barbara as she crossed the room. “Good job, Gordon. Rogers needs a direct approach.”

Barbara just groaned again, burrowing her head further under her arms. 

Natasha, rolling her eyes at Jane, grabbed hold of Barbara’s head and gently lifted it up. “Trust me. You made the right call. Now, go talk to him before either of you have another meltdown and I’ll take over here.”

“But Darcy said she was ordering the pizza -”

“Darcy is a sociopath when it comes to Italian food. Trust me,” Natasha said, pulling Barbara out of her chair, “it’s better this way.”

Sighing, Barbara nodded and made her way across the kitchen towards the living room. “Right, talk to Steve, talk to Steve, talk to -”

The door slid open, and Barbara practically collided with Sam Wilson. “Hey Barbara,” he said, a warm smile on his face. “The name’s Sam Wilson. It’s good to meet you.”

Barbara returned his smile, shaking his outstretched hand. “And you, Sam Wilson.”

He inclined his head towards the door behind him. “Your boy’s out there trying to work up the nerve. Don’t be too hard on him, you hear?”

She chuckled, nodding her head. “I promise.”

Winking, Sam patted her on the back and made his way towards the communal kitchen. Barbara took a deep breath, pushed back her shoulders, and made her way out of the sliding doors and into the hallway.

“Barbara!” Steve jumped to attention, no longer slouching against the outer wall. “You - I was – I have something to say.”

Smiling softly, she came to a stop in front of Steve. “Okay?”

“I - well -” his face flushed in the dimly lit light. Swallowing, he nodded to himself and started to speak. “Look, I did what I did to keep you safe, because as far as I knew, you were a civilian, and with HYDRA out and about – I cared about you too much to put you in any more danger than I already had. Which is why I understand why you did what you did, when it came to keeping me in the dark. You wanted to keep me safe.” He glanced up at her, and Barbara felt herself getting caught in his gaze. “I never stopped caring about you. And I- I - I’d like to give this another shot. If, if you want to.”

Barbara felt tears spring to her eyes. Grinning, she nodded quickly, stepping closer until she was only a few breaths away from him. “I would love that.”

Steve cleared his throat loudly. “Really?”

“Yeah, really,” she laughed, shaking her head. “I wouldn’t have practically mauled you if I felt otherwise.”

Steve’s face burst into a smile, and his laugh was long and hard. “By all means, feel free to maul me again in the future.”

Barbara’s laugh joined in with his, and moving towards her, he lifted her up into his arms, his forehead resting gently against hers. “I - I think you’re the greatest, Barbara Gordon.”

Beaming, Barbara leaned in and kissed his lips softly. “I feel the same way, Steve Rogers,” she murmured as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“ - saying, it was quite the show – VIRGIN EYES, VIRGIN EYES!” Tony hollered as he stepped out of the elevator. “Pepper, keep your eyes shut!”

Barbara turned around in Steve’s arms, just in time to see Pepper playfully swat Tony’s hands away. “I just wanted to tell you both that I’m so happy for you -"

“Yes, she’s happy, I’m happy, Cap is clearly  _very_ happy, we’re all happy,” Tony chattered, dragging Pepper through the door into the kitchen and living room. “C’mon, you two lovebirds, the pizza’s almost here.”

Steve set Barbara gently on the ground and held out his arm. “Ma’am?” He asked, looking down at her.

Barbara grinned and wrapped her arm through his. “Why, thank you.”

“Awwww -” Pepper sang, ignoring Tony’s attempts to drag her through the door.

“Wait, is something cute happening? Bruce, I need the camera!”

“Bruce, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll forget you ever saw a camera.”

“Bruce, if you want to have sex again, you’ll find me that damn camera!”

“Bruce, just sign up for the convent now.”

The pair quickly made their way back into the kitchen, where they were greeted by the sight of all of the Avengers – including Darcy, Jane and Pepper – clapping and toasting loudly. Bucky made his way across the room, handing Steve a beer and clapping him on his back. “Don’t be a dumbass this time, Rogers.”

Steve chuckled, nudging Sam. “I’ll do my best.”

“Lady Valkyrie!” Thor swept over towards Barbara and Steve, wrapping them both up in his embrace. “It gladdens my heart to see you reunited with the other half of your heart! Should any foul jester attempt to cause either you or your paramour anguish, he will face the flaming wrath of Asgard!”

Barbara poked her head out from behind Thor and frowned at Jane. “Flaming wrath of Asgard?” She mouthed. Jane just shrugged back at her.

“Hey, big guy, come help Vision and I set up the theatre,” Clint called from across the room. “We’ll need new seats with the newbies here.”

“Of course, friend Barton!” Thor dropped Barbara and Steve back onto the ground – they stumbled a bit, but recovered their balance relatively well. Tony took this opportunity to squirrel Steve away, maneuvering him towards Bruce, Sam and Bucky. Barbara just shook her head, watching as Steve tried – and failed – to meander his way back towards her.

“Not a bad way to end your first mission with the Avengers, huh?” Jane asked, crossing the room to hand Barbara a glass of wine.

“Not at all,” she replied, taking a sip of her merlot. “And thanks.”

“For what?”

“For putting the painting in my apartment. It just made me realize – no, not realize, it reminded me that some things are worth fighting for. And Steve,” she looked at him fondly, “he’s definitely one of them.”

“Don’t mention it,” Jane waved it off. “What are friends for?”

“Awww,” Barbara cooed, wrapping Jane up in a hug. Jane protested slightly, but Barbara ignored her, hugging her anyways.

“Wait, are we molesting Jane now?” Darcy called over, dragging Wanda behind her.

“Not anymore,” Jane moaned, finally extricating herself from Barbara’s embrace.

“ - look, all I’m saying Rogers, is that when the time comes for you to put a ring on it, as Barbara’s father -”

“ - you’re NOT her father -”

“ - not yet, anyway -”

“ - ANTHONY EDWARD STARK -”

“ - it’s just polite – OW, Pepper, stop that – it's just polite to ask for my permission first, right Bruce?”

“Nope, absolutely not, you leave me out of this -”

"Barnes? Barnes, come on, you’re old, help me out here.”

Barbara watched as Steve shook his head, laughing incredulously at Tony’s antics. Feeling her gaze, he turned to look at her, and the smile he sent in her direction – she felt like her heart was flying.

"Congratulations, Barbara Gordon.” Barbara turned and found Wanda smiling at her. “Your aura is much clearer now, as is his. I wish you all the best.”

“Thank you, Wanda. And, I’ve gotta say, it’s an honor to finally meet you. Properly at least.”

“An honor?”

“John Constantine doesn’t speak highly of practically anyone,” she said, leaning towards Wanda. “Since you got his seal of approval – well, I’m looking forward to getting to know you better.”

“And I you,” Wanda replied, her smiling widening. Wanda looked like she was about to respond further, but a sudden scream tore through the room. Barbara whirled around just in time to see Wade – and Peter – swing through one of the open windows and into the kitchen.

“WOOOOOOOOOWEEEEEEEE, baby boy, you know how to take a guy on the ride of his life!” Wade panted. Peter groaned, all but dumping Wade onto the ground before wrenching his mask off of his head.

“Sorry we’re late, Wade insisted on swinging in. Is Strange here yet?”

“I just arrived,” the sorcerer announced as he strode in through a portal. 

“Um, excuse me, but who invited you?”

“I did!” Darcy replied to Tony, hollering at him from across the room. “It’s movie night!”

“These files contain information that is important for all of us,” Strange continued, walking over to Tony and smirking at the man’s frustrated expression. Strange turned his gaze on Pepper and winked before kissing her hand. “Miss Potts, a pleasure as always.”

“Stephen! Good to see you -”

“Hey, knock it off, Merlin.”

Whatever Strange said in reply to Tony was drowned out by a squealing Wade, who wrapped Barbara up in his arms and spun her around. “I’ve missed you, Apple Blossom!”

Barbara smiled, wrapping her arms back around him. “I’ve missed you too, Wade!”

Wade hummed happily before smacking his mask-covered lips against her cheek, making a loud kissing sound. “MWAH! Love you, kitten. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go threaten Captain America with castration.”

“Wade, I really don’t think -” He was already across the room by the time the words came out of Barbara’s mouth. “Wade!”

“Cap!” Wade exclaimed happily, grabbing Steve’s hand in his own. “Ol’ buddy, ol’ pal, ol’ friend. Now, look here, Commander Steel,” he continued, wrapping an arm around Steve’s shoulder and pulling him close. Steve looked entirely confused, Bucky looked somewhat concerned, and Sam was recording the exchange on his phone. “If you do anything  _ever_  that hurts Barbara again, so help me our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I will cut off your -”

“What Wade means,” Peter interrupted, shooting his boyfriend an exasperated look, “is that if you hurt Barbara, you answer to us, and it won’t be pretty. Just treat her right, Cap.”

“Oh, understood,” Steve replied, nodding his head solemnly at Peter. 

Wade groaned, turning and throwing his head back towards the ceiling. “Peteyyyyy, I spent forty-five minutes working on the lead-up to my overly-complicated and unnecessarily violent threat!”

“I know you did, and I love that about you, but save it for someone who’s worthy of it, okay?” Peter replied with a grin. “Like if we ever meet that Dick you kept talking about -”

Gasping, Wade pressed a sloppy kiss to Peter’s cheek. “Babe, you are the bestest and the smartest person in the world -”

“Hey!”

“Really, Tony?”

“ - and you’re absolutely right. Speaking of, is the pizza here yet? I’m starving.”

“The pizza has just arrived, Mister Wilson,” A.L.F.R.E.D. spoke over the P.A. “Vision has requested that you join himself and Mister Barton in the viewing room -”

“Say no more, Q!” Wade grabbed hold of Peter and all but sprinted towards the theatre. Tony took off after them, dragging an exasperated Pepper behind him, hollering something about keeping “your dirty paws off the furniture, Wilson, I don’t want to have to burn it”. 

“Are you ready?” Barbara turned around to find Steve standing next to her, looking at her expectantly. “If this stuff is going to be too much -”

“No, I’ll be okay." She slowly looped her fingers through his, meeting his eyes wide a small smile. “I’ve got you.”

The smile on Steve’s face almost overwhelmed her. Leaning down, he pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head.

“AWWWWWW -” A bright flash of light caught them both off of their guard. 

“DARCY! WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT YOUR CAMERA?”

“But Jane, it’ll be perfect for their scrapbook -”

The spots slowly dissipated from Barbara’s eyes, and she turned around just in time to see Bruce looking fondly at Darcy as she wrestled with Jane, trying to get her polaroid back from Jane’s grasp.

“JANE! GIVE IT BACK!”

“LEWIS! FOSTER!” Tony’s voice hollered from the cinema. “STOP TRYING TO RE-ENACT ROCKY AND GET YOUR ASSES IN HERE!”

“You heard him,” Natasha spoke, sashaying past Barbara and Steve. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

\--

“Where would you like to start, Miss Gordon?”

Barbara sighed, setting her pizza crust back down on the plate. “Honestly, A.L.F.R.E.D., I have no idea.”

The Avengers (plus Pepper, Darcy, Jane, and Wade) were all sprawled across a variety of sofas and oversized armchairs, seated in a wide circle in front of an impressively large television screen. Strange was sitting at one end with Vision, Wanda, Jane and Thor all seated to his left. Darcy and Bruce were seated next to them, with Tony and Pepper occupying an oversized divan in the center of the room. Natasha was next to Pepper, snuggled up by Sam, and Clint and Bucky were taking turns tossing pizza toppings into each other’s mouths. Barbara was seated on the floor on an oversized fleece-covered floor pillow, leaning back against Steve who had all but wrapped himself around her. And finally, to her left were Peter and Wade, who had taken over the overly-large sofa that realistically could have held Barbara and Steve too, but Barbara wasn’t about to start complaining.

“We could do a general overview, I suppose -”

“BATMAN!”

“Tony, this isn’t -”

“BAT. MAN. PLEASE, the suspense is KILLING ME -”

“A quick overview and then Batman, if you please,” Vision interrupted, shooting Tony a fond look. “If that sounds acceptable to you, Miss Gordon.”

“That sounds great. Hit it, A.L.F.R.E.D.”

The lights in the cinema dimmed as the screen in front of them flickered to life. Barbara shoved her pizza crust into her mouth and leaned back, forcing herself to relax. Steve’s arms wrapped around her in response and she exhaled deeply, calmed by his sure and slow breaths.

“As Doctor Strange and Constantine shared at our initial meeting, Barbara Gordon and I hail from another dimension, which we will refer to as Earth-1 for the remainder of this presentation.”

“Hey, why do they get to be -” A loud pillow  _thwack_ silenced Clint’s protests.

“The historical events that occurred on Earth-1 are, for all intents and purposes, identical to those that have occurred on your earth. The only difference is that Earth-1 is populated by entirely different people. A brief search that I completed on our first day here revealed that of the seven billion humans occupying your Earth, only two people bear any sort of genetic complementarity to someone occupying Earth-1, and that is simply due to intersections between dominant family lines. Simply put, there are no doppelgangers occurring between this Earth and Earth-1.”

“Oh, thank God,” Clint sighed out again. “The universe only needs one of me.”

“You can say that again,” Bucky muttered under his breath.

“The same applies for the rest of Earth-1's universe. None of the many alien species have any sort of genetic familiarity to the known races catalogued by S.H.I.E.L.D.”

“There is no Asgard?” Thor cut in.

“Not within the universe of Earth-1, God of Thunder. There are gods within the universe of Earth-1, but they are not like you.

“Fifteen years ago, Earth-1 was attacked by an alien from the planet Krypton.” The screen flashed to images of Zod, and of the League’s filmed interrogation of the Kryptonian. “General Zod and a group of his followers descended upon Earth, hoping to wipe out the human race and reclaim it for themselves. They were met with resistance they did not expect.”

The screen in front of them clicked over to footage from the League’s first team-up. Diana charged across the screen towards Zod, just as Clark and – Barbara's stomach tensed up at the familiar figure cloaked in black – Bruce descended from above, Arthur and Hal right on their tail.

“A group of superhuman and superpowered individuals rose to the occasion, and after a lengthy battle, Zod and his followers were vanquished.” The screen cut to news reels of a celebrating Metropolis, of the status of Superman being unveiled to thunderous applause. “After the battle, those individuals formally declared their intentions to create a team, to be Earth’s defense in the event of war.”

Clark’s voice began to ring out as coverage of the League’s first press conference began to play.  _“The future’s fate is in our hands. Ladies and gentlemen, that is a responsibility we must not take lightly._ _Therefore,_ _today I propose a bold new solution for peace; a force more powerful than any that have come before, a force dedicated to the good of mankind; a force I call the Justice League.”_

_“_ The Justice League,” Bruce repeated thoughtfully. “Huh. Not bad. A little pretentious -”

“A little? A  _little?_  More like a lot, the sanctimonious bastards -”

A loud snort echoed throughout the room, and Barbara turned around to see Pepper, flushed right red, covering her nose with one hand.

“What? What did I say?”

“I believe Miss Potts was reacting to your critique of the pretentiousness of the -”

“Yes, Vision, thank you, I get it!”

“What’s the set-up of the organization like?” Natasha asked, choosing to just ignore Tony, per usual.

“Excellent question, Miss Romanov. The Justice League operates very similarly to the Avengers, although they have a stronger intergalactic presence. When there are no pressing national, international or intergalactic issues, most members of the team keep to their respective domains.”

“Is this the Batman part?” Darcy asked, her mouth full of pizza.

“Yes, at this point, I will begin covering the Batfamily and Gotham City. Miss Gordon, what information would you like me to share? While I have access to all of the League’s archival footage -”

“Give us the basic debrief,” she replied, setting her empty plate on the floor and snuggling further into Steve’s arms. “Biography and notable events, abilities, that sort of thing.”

“And weaknesses,” Strange chimed in. “Just to be on the safe side.”

“Very well. There are three core founding members of the Justice League who retain most of the group’s active administrative duties. They are operatives Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.”

“Wonder Woman? What kind of name is that?”

“You do know you’re sitting in a room with Captain America, right?”

“Hey!”

Barbara patted Steve’s arm comfortingly. “I think your name’s wonderful.”

“For the ease of this debrief,” A.L.F.R.E.D. continued, “I will begin with Batman and his associated operatives before moving onto the others.”

“Yes, finally!”

“Tony, stop talking!”

“Sorry Pepper.”

Steve leaned forward, his lips tickling Barbara’s ear. “If you need anything -”

Smiling, Barbara turned and kissed him quickly. “I know.”

“Bruce Wayne, aka the Batman,” A.L.F.R.E.D.’s voice intoned. Barbara turned back around, focusing on exhaling as Bruce’s handsome face appeared on the screen, set next to an imposing picture of Batman. “After witnessing his parents’ murder at the age of eight years old, Bruce Wayne dedicated his life – and substantial fortune – to eliminating crime in Gotham City, where he currently resides. By day, Mister Wayne operates as the CEO of Wayne Industries, crafting the persona of a hapless – and hopeless – billionaire playboy.”

“That sounds familiar.”

“Pepper!”

“By night, Wayne dons the mask of the Batman and fights on the streets of Gotham. For your elucidation, Gotham City has been rated the most dangerous city in the “modern world” on Earth-1. Home to dozens of the world’s smartest and most frightening criminals, it has long been the haven for the worst of the worst.”

Steve’s arms tightened around her as the screen quickly flicked through several images, landing on Batman arresting the Joker. Barbara swallowed, but forced herself to look at the screen. She wouldn’t let him get to her. Not anymore.

“Mister Wayne has crusaded against crime in Gotham for the last seventeen years, having started his cause at the age of eighteen. Over time, he has amassed a following of vigilantes that assist him in his day-to-day operations, as well as in some of the more catastrophic events that have threatened Earth-1. Miss Gordon, as you all know, was one of them, the first to take on the name Batgirl.”

“Okay, I have to ask,” Bruce interrupted, leaning forward in his seat. “What’s with all the bat names?”

“Mister Wayne’s greatest fear as a child was of bats,” A.L.F.R.E.D. replied. “A nest of them occupied his family’s mausoleum. Upon the death of his parents, he was forced to interact with them every time upon his visit. While he eventually outgrew his fear of bats, he never lost sight of what they symbolized. It seemed fitting, in his mind, that when he became a creature of the night himself that he took on their form. Mister Wayne’s base of operations, known as the “Bat Cave”, now lies underneath said mausoleum.”

“In terms of the whole bat motif thing, the rest of us just kind of went with it,” Barbara cut in. “Especially since he really got stuff done. Associating yourself with Batman was a surefire way of them taking you seriously.”

“Huh,” Bruce replied thoughtfully.

“It’s a stupid name.”

“Yes, Barton, thank you!”

“ - says  _Iron Man -”_

_“_ Lewis, you take that back!”

“How about you move onto abilities and stuff, A.L.F.R.E.D.”

“Of course, Miss Gordon. Unlike many of his colleagues, Batman has no heightened superhuman or magical abilities. However, due to a rigorous training program, his physical attributes greatly exceed that of every active Olympian, both on Earth-1 and here. He is an expert gymnast and has been trained in over 127 styles of martial arts -”

“Whoa -”

“Wait, what the fuck -”

“ - and is the only person to successfully incapacitate Ra’s al Ghul, which led to his graduation from the League of Assassins.”

“So he’s like Tasha,” Barnes nodded thoughtfully. 

“Wait, Tasha? Like, our Tasha?”

“How many types of martial arts -”

“Not the time, Stark.”

“Mister Wayne has a genius-level intellect, very comparable to that of Mister Stark -”

“He wishes -”

“ - and has degrees in Criminal Science, Forensic Sciences, Computer Sciences, Chemistry, Biology and Engineering. Additionally, he has an eidetic memory, and is capable of speaking over twenty languages, including Spanish, French, Latin, German, Japanese, English, Russian, Cantonese, Mandarin, Greek, Portuguese, Arabic, Sanskrit, Hindi, Thai, and Farsi.”

“Fuck.”

“You can say that again, Sam.”

“Okay, so this guy is basically a less-awesome version of myself. What’s his weakness?”

“Besides being entirely mortal, his greatest weakness lies in his subconscious. The only thing Mister Wayne has never been able to overcome is himself.”

The room fell into total silence. Barbara turned her head again to look at Tony, who was nodding knowingly at the screen. “Yep. That tracks.”

Frowning, Pepper grabbed hold of his hand and squeezed. Tony shot her a smile, kissed her lightly on the forehead, and turned his attention back to the screen. “All right. Who else is there?”

“Through the course of his adult life, Mister Wayne has taken in four sons, three of whom are currently active members of the extended Batfamily. Only the youngest is his biological offspring, and at the age of four, Damian Wayne is currently incapable of contributing to the family business.”

“Great, let’s start there.”

“Of course, Mister Stark. The eldest of the Wayne sons is Richard “Dick” Grayson, who -”

“THAT’S HIM! THAT’S THE DICK!” Wade screamed, practically leaping off of the couch. Peter flinched, turning to shoot Wade a glare.

“Wade, what are you -”

“That’s him, Petey! That’s the one I was telling you about!”

“Wait, what?”

“Wilson, care to share with the rest of the class?”

“Wait, that’s him? That’s -”

“Wade, Peter, you better tell me what’s happening right now or so help me -”

“He’s my ex!” Barbara yelled, silencing the rest of the room.

“Come again?”

Sighing, Barbara pushed herself up and turned to look at Steve, who had tensed up slightly at her declaration. “Dick and I dated for a while, when I was sixteen. That stuff went down with the Joker, and I lost my legs, and – it just didn’t work out. It’s way, way in the past, though, so you’ve got nothing to worry about.” Barbara bit her lip, searching Steve’s face with her eyes. “We okay?”

Steve exhaled deeply, smiling softly at her. “Of course.”

“I hate to interrupt this moment,” Darcy began, “but when you say that it didn’t work out after the whole, you know, leg thing, does that mean -”

“ - ran away and cheated like an asshole,” Wade snarled.

“THAT FUCKING -”

Bruce covered Darcy’s mouth with one hand and began to run his fingers through her hair with the other. 

“He did?”

Barbara turned back to look at Steve, who was staring at her with fiery eyes. Sighing, she nodded. “Yeah, but like I said, it’s -”

Steve cut her off, surging forward to pull her into a toe-curling kiss. Barbara flailed for a few moments, barely managing to kiss him back before he pulled away. “I would never,” he growled. “It’s you and me, for as long as you have me. Got it?”

Flushing, Barbara could barely respond, as the room was drowning in a chorus of “ahhhhhs”, most of which were coming from Darcy, Jane, Wanda and Thor. Someone’s voice, most likely Clint’s, muttered something like “gross”, and was promptly muffled by the sound of a smothering pillow.

“Good on you, Rogers! I’m glad to see you communicating!” Sam chirped, patting Steve on the shoulder.

Barbara, snapping back into herself, nodded at Steve, a large smile stretching across her face. “You and me. Got it.”

Steve flushed, but he smiled back at her, and this time when he dragged her back into his arms, he pulled her entire body so she was sitting across his lap, head on his shoulder, legs draped across his left arm and safely ensconced in his right.

“Perhaps an amended run down of Mister Grayson, then,” Strange intoned loudly.

“Of course, Doctor. Mister Grayson -”

“BOOOOO!” Jane threw popcorn at the screen.

“ - operates under the name Nightwing. Trained in acrobatics by his parents, Grayson was the first to take on the mantle of Robin, assisting Batman starting at the age of fourteen in his crime-fighting efforts, leaving to join the Teen Titans as one of its founding members at the age of eighteen. He left the organization at twenty-two and returned to Gotham, and has operated as Nightwing ever since. Like Miss Gordon, he has been trained in several styles of martial arts, including aikido, boxing, capoeira, eskrima, hapkido, judo, ninjitsu, savate, stick fighting, and kung fu.”

“Wait, you know all of those?” Steve asked lowly in Barbara’s ear. She nodded, snuggling back against him. “You’ll have to show me sometime.”

“Right, right, he’s Batman junior. What’s his weakness?”

"Redheads.”

The room fell silent. “Did A.L.F.R.E.D. just -”

“Nightwing’s various relationships have all caused him some level of anguish, and all the women he has been romantically linked to are redheaded -”

“No, we got the joke, buddy, I’m just impressed! Excellent execution on that one!” Tony replied.

“Thank you, Mister Stark.”

“I, for one, totally understand where Grayson’s coming from – oww, Natasha, will you stop hitting me?!”

“Never.”

“I second Barton on that one.”

“Yes, Barnes, thank you!”

“Third!”

“Tony!”

“Pepper, you are my greatest weakness. Everyone knows that.”

“Awwwwww!"

“Watch it, Wilson.”

“You got it, daddy-o!”

“Mister Grayson is currently in a relationship with Koriand’r, operative name Starfire.” The redheaded alien filled the screen, and Jane began to hiss.

“Is that?”

“YUP!” Wade hollered back.

“That BITCH -”

“Peace, my love, all is well. Just breathe.”

“A princess from the planet Tamaran, Koriand’r was captured at a young age by space pirates and was the subject of several inhumane experiments. It was through these experiments that she gained her powers, and led her other slaves in an uprising, eventually overthrowing the space pirates. Having been banished from Tamaran due to her genetic mutations, Koriand’r came to Earth and joined the Teen Titans. Gifted with superhuman strength, durability, and stamina, she is capable of flight and is able to expel solar energy from her hands in offensive attacks. Her greatest weaknesses are metallic chromium and Richard Grayson.”

“GROSS.”

“You’re telling me.”

“The next of the adopted Waynes is a young man named Jason Todd.”

Barbara squeezed Steve’s arm with her hands, feeling that same pit begin to open up in her stomach again. Steve kissed the top of her head and tightened his grip.

“Adopted by Bruce Wayne after he was surrendered to Gotham’s orphanage by his mother, a notorious drug addict. Naturally aggressive, Todd took on the mantle of Robin at the age of twelve, shortly after his predecessor Dick Grayson began working almost exclusively with the Teen Titans. Jason Todd died at the hands of the Joker at the age of seventeen.”

“Wait, what?”

Barbara shut her eyes, tears swimming in her lids. The group behind her began to talk amongst themselves, but Barbara could only focus on Steve’s arms, on his warmth, on not crying, please, not now, not today -

“The Lazarus Pit,” Wanda spoke, instantly silencing the room.

“Correct, Miss Maximoff.” Wanda began swearing in her native tongue. “His body was taken by Talia al Ghul, and Jason Todd was resurrected in the Lazarus Pit shortly thereafter. He escaped the league two years later and has been operating as the Red Hood ever since. Mentally unstable, incredibly dangerous, and willing to kill his opponents, Jason Todd is currently not associated with the League.”

“He sounds nice!” Wade exclaimed happily, taking a bite out of his pizza.

“Barbara?” Pepper’s voice asked hesitantly. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah,” she nodded, wiping away a tear. “Jason - he was like a younger brother to me, and I’ve just always felt guilty about it. That he died, and I couldn’t be there to help him.”

“Take it from someone who’s come back from the dead,” Bucky spoke softly. "The fact that you care means the world. It did for me.”

Steve removed his hand from Barbara’s side to squeeze Bucky’s leg. “To the end of the line, pal.”

“Ugh, this is getting nauseating.”

“Tony, I swear to God -”

“You know, Stark, I’m starting to wonder if you would benefit from some sort of emotional therapy -”

“If you want to fly, Sam Wilson, you will shut your goddamned mouth -”

“I think it’s an excellent idea!”

“What? Pepper, no!”

“I second that motion.”

“Bruce? You wouldn’t -”

“As much as I would love to talk about Stark’s many issues,” Strange interrupted, “the sooner we get through the rest of the Batfamily, the better. A.L.F.R.E.D.?”

“Of course, Doctor. The last of the Batfamily operatives is Tim Drake, operative Red Robin. Drake is under Bruce Wayne’s guardianship, as his biological father remains comatose due to a horrific encounter with a villain known in Gotham City as the Scarecrow. Drake took on the mantle of Robin at the age of twelve after Jason Todd’s death -”

“Wait, kids? Were they all kids?”

“Both Dick Grayson and Jason Todd began to operate at the age of twelve -”

“WHAT THE FUCK!”

“KIDS? KIDS?”

“ - Natasha, please, you can’t create a portal with the power of your mind, just drop the butter knife -”

“I’m gonna smack Batman. There, I said it. I’m gonna smack him. And steal his intellectual property.”

“Hold old were you again?” Sam Wilson asked. The room immediately quieted down at his question, turning to look at Barbara.

She sighed. “I was fourteen.”

“Fourteen? That asshole let you fight at fourteen?”

“Tony, it’s really not that simple. Dick and Jason started young, but in Gotham, you have to.” She patted Steve’s shoulder, who relaxed, allowing her to turn and face the team. “It’s hard to comprehend if you haven’t lived there, but Gotham – Gotham is a horrible place. The worst kind of evil people live there and wreak havoc there. There were armed guards at my little league softball games. And even if you didn’t want to dress up and run around as a vigilante, you either learned how to defend yourself, or you ended up dead.”

“Well then why the hell does anyone live there?” Tony asked, pointed exasperatedly at the screen.

“I don’t know, when it’s good, things are really good. But when it’s bad, it’s hell. And I’m not saying this so you don’t punch Bruce or anything,” Barbara continued, running her hands through her hair, “seriously, he deserves to be punched in the face, but it’s hard there. Both Dick and Jason’s parents were killed by some of the people they later helped lock up. It’s not the norm for kids there, but it’s not out of the ordinary either.”

“He shouldn’t have let them fight at all,” Natasha gritted out. “If I ever get my hands on him -”

“Then I’ll buy him a really shitty urn,” Clint finished with a smirk. “Any other major players from Gotham?”

“Both Stephanie Brown and Cassandra Cain currently operate as “Batgirl”, and millionaire heiress Katy Kane operates as Batwoman, but none of the aforementioned women are active associates of the Justice League. For the sake of time, I would suggest we move on to the rest of the League, if that is all right with you?”

“Go right ahead, A.L.F.R.E.D.”

“Excellent.” Footage of Superman fighting Zod flicked onto the screen, and Barbara grinned in spite of herself. “Kal-El of the Planet Krypton, operative name Superman. Sent to Earth by his parents upon the destruction of his home planet Krypton, Kal-El was adopted by the Kent family, given the name Clark and was raised in Smallville, Kansas. Kal-El has operated as the superhero known as Superman since the age of eighteen. When he is not fighting crime, Kal-El works as a reporter for the Daily Planet, located in the city of Metropolis.

“As a Kryptonian, his cells function like a super battery, hyper metabolizing specific wavelengths of radiation as fuel to enable living functions and/or superhuman abilities. Different wavelengths of radiation have different effects on Superman's physiology and well-being, but his cells cannot absorb or utilize all types of radiation. The wavelength of his home solar system's red sun enables his body to function on an identical level of a healthy human while the Earth's solar radiation in both its raw and filtered state through the Earth's atmosphere acts as fuel to enable all of his powers.”

“English, please!” Clint called out, shooting an exasperated look at Natasha.

“Earth’s sun gives him the powers of a god,” Barbara replied, shooting Clint a quick wink. “A.L.F.R.E.D., how about you give us a full run-down on Clark?”

“Of course, Miss Gordon. Superman is capable of lifting far in excess of one billion tons -”

“WHAT?!”

“You’re still in the lead there, Brucie -”

“ - flying at supersonic speeds in a planetary atmosphere and at faster-than-light speeds while in space, telescopic, microscopic, electromagnetic, X-Ray and heat visions -”

“Wait, he’s capable of this?”

“ - meet this guy, I want to run some tests -”

“ - more like ALL the tests!”

“ - and his body is nigh-invulnerable due to his superhumanly dense cellular and anatomical structure as well as his radiating bio-electrical aura. Superman is under some circumstances resistant or immune to different forms and levels of lacerations, blunt force trauma, energy-based assaults, falls from great heights, explosions, the cold void of space, toxins and all known diseases on Earth. His supercharged bio-electric "aura" acts as an invisible "force field" radiating within a few millimeters from his skin,” A.L.F.R.E.D. finished to the excited chatter of Jane, Bruce and Tony.

“What about his weaknesses?”

“Excellent question, Miss Romanoff. Superman’s greatest weakness is through exposure to the alien mineral Kryptonite.” The green, jewel-like item popped up onto the screen. “Kryptonite gives off a peculiar radiation that entirely nullifies Superman’s abilities. The Kryptonian is also diminished in abilities against magic-users, and if deprived of Earth’s solar energy, will lose all his abilities, leaving him entirely human.”

“I wonder if Kryptonite is similar to your gamma radiation output,” Jane turned to Bruce. “A.L.F.R.E.D., can Kryptonite be manufactured synthetically?”

“There have been several attempts to do so, Doctor Foster, but none have achieved the same isotopic baseline emissions of naturally-hewn Kryptonite.”

“Add it to the list, Foster!”

“Are there any other of these Kryptonians?” Bucky chimed in curiously.

“There is only one other.” The screen flashed over, and Kara’s beaming face smiled down at them. “Kara Zor-El, elder cousin of Kal-El, operative name Supergirl. She was sent from Krypton at the same time as Kal-El at the age of twenty, but remained frozen in stasis for twenty-five years before her pod arrived on Earth. She has all of Kal-El's strengths and corresponding weaknesses, but is also capable of freezing items with her breath.”

“Freeze-breath?!”

“Okay, now you’re just making shit up!”

“I can assure you, Misters Parker and Wilson, I am not in jest.”

“Are these aliens mortal?” Thor spoke up, quieting down the rest of the room’s chatter.

“Yes. While they may have god-like powers, they are not gods.”

Thor frowned slightly. “I recall you mentioned gods on the team, friend A.L.F.R.E.D.”

“That I did,” A.L.F.R.E.D. replied. Kara’s face disappeared from the screen, and was replaced with footage of Diana squaring off against Ares. “Thor, God of Thunder, meet Princess Diana, Goddess of Truth, operative name Wonder Woman. Born Princess Diana of Themyscira to Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, and Zeus, God of Gods. Diana lived several ages in harmony with the other Amazons on their Paradise of Themyscira until 1917, when U.S. Air Force pilot Steve Trevor crash-landed onto their island. At his behest, Diana left Themyscira behind and joined him in fighting on behalf of the Allies in the First World War. She spent decades hunting Ares, the God of War, finally defeating him seven years ago in a battle upon Mount Olympus.”

“Okay, wait, wait, wait, pause. Zeus? Ares? As in the Greek gods?”

“Yes, Mr. Stark. Upon Earth-1, the Greek gods of your myths exist.”

“Father said that the Amazons died long ago,” Thor intoned loudly, a distant look in his eyes. Jane pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, snuggling back under his arm. “I am glad to see a world in which they flourish.”

“That she does,” A.L.F.R.E.D. replied. “In terms of her abilities, she is remarkably similar to Thor. Her weapon of choice is a sword fashioned by Hephaestus, called the ‘Godkiller’, rather than a hammer. She is capable of channeling lightning, her father’s element, through her body in combat, rather than through her weapon. Beyond that, her strength, speed, durability, flexibility, agility, stamina and healing are all on par with yours, God of Thunder.”

“I am honored to be matched with such a warrior,” he beamed widely. “If we should visit your home world, Lady Valkyrie, I would be most pleased to meet your Wonder Woman.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Barbara shot him a grin, snuggling up further into Steve’s embrace. Steve hummed in response, and Barbara shut her eyes as A.L.F.R.E.D. began to speak about Arthur, and Clint, Wade, Peter and Darcy began screaming “wet” jokes at each other, over the incredulous conversation between Jane, Bruce and Tony about the biological implications of breathing under water, Strange, Wanda and Vision’s almost non-stop whispers, Pepper and Natasha’s murmured laughter, and Bucky and Sam’s much louder chuckles as Darcy and Clint increased their volume -

And the steady beat of Steve’s heart, and the gentle kiss he pressed upon the top of her head - 

And Barbara was certain she’d never been happier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I know that pretty much nothing happens in this chapter and it's like 6500 words of just exposition but I just felt like we needed to see at least part of the DC debrief because I want the team to have a bit of an idea of what they're walking into in the major crossover event happening in the sequel SO I'm sorry that this is so blergh. At least it's done, thank GOD.
> 
> Which brings me to my next point; aside from a team bonding interlude, Steve's meet-the-father scenes and a bit more of Steve/Barbara, I'm thinking that we're getting pretty close to Thanos? And the more I think about it, the more I'm thinking that I don't really want to drag it out? Like, they'll fight him in a chapter and things will resolve quickly? I don't know, I just don't care for a really long, painful battle, I'd rather just have my girls go in and get it done and over with, you know? Because at the end of the day, this is Barbara's story about her and Steve and her new family, and so Thanos is just sort of not important to me. Let me know if that works for you, and I'll get rolling on finishing this beast so we can get to that SEQUEL :)


	31. Happy

The team stayed up late into the wee hours of the morning, dissecting and commentating on each and every one of the League’s primary active members. Some were universally lauded (Dinah, Barry and Vic), others were viciously maligned (Oliver Queen, but that was mainly from Clint). By 1:30 A.M., most of the room’s inhabitants had dropped off into sleep; Strange had left a few hours prior, as had Peter and Wade, so Barbara and Steve had relocated to their couch in their absence, succumbing to exhaustion soon after. Only Vision remained awake, and he conferred quietly with A.L.F.R.E.D., comparing notes about their experiences as artificial life forms.

Surprisingly, Barbara was the first to wake. The steady rise and fall of Steve’s chest lured her into consciousness, and she blearily opened her eyes, glancing at the time on the large monitor at the front of the room.  _7:47 A.M._

Steve rolled over, pulling Barbara on top of him with a gentle snore. His normally tense brow was calm, and his mouth was set in a peaceful line. Barbara felt a small smile creep onto her face, and she kissed his forehead gently before slowly extricating herself from his embrace.

The rest of the group was asleep. Even Vision had finally powered down, Wanda held securely on his lap. Clint was sprawled across his loveseat, trapping Bucky and Sam on either side of him. Darcy was slumped against Bruce’s shoulder, mouth fallen open in a loud snore. Pepper and Tony were cuddled up on their loveseat, the foot-rests extending the furniture in a long line. Thor was all but crushing Jane into their couch, his body lying on top of her own like a shield. 

Barbara silently stalked out of the room, being careful to shut the door quietly behind her. As soon as the door clicked into place, Barbara let out a deep whoosh of breath.  _Made it._

She shuffled into the kitchen ten minutes later, having relieved herself and thrown her hair up into a messy bun. “Good morning FRIDAY, good morning A.L.F.R.E.D.,” she yawned, squinting in the morning light.

“Good morning, Miss Gordon!” FRIDAY chirped happily.

“I hope you received adequate rest,” A.L.F.R.E.D. chimed in.

“As best as can be expected in the movie theater,” she replied with a chuckle. “What do we have for breakfast?”

“Nothing premade, I’m afraid. Thor ate the last of the pop-tarts yesterday. I can order some if you’d like -”

“That’s okay FRIDAY, I’ll just whip something up.”

“All cooking supplies was restocked two days ago, Miss Gordon. Are you planning on cooking for the rest of the team?”

Barbara paused mid-step. “That’s not a bad idea. A.L.F.R.E.D., any suggestions?”

“Given the inventory of the communal kitchen, I would recommend crepes and souffles.”

“Okay, I can do that. Can you read me the instructions?”

“I can do you one better, Miss Gordon,” FRIDAY replied. “I will have the information sent to the StarkPad above the stove.”

“That would be great, FRIDAY, thank you.”

“Of course, Miss Gordon. Will you need any other assistance?”

Barbara arrived at the large expanse of cupboards and pulled the closest one open. “Permission for A.L.F.R.E.D. to play music?”

“Permission granted.”

\--

Bucky didn’t sleep very well. Ever. He  _could_ sleep, but he’d wake up at the slightest flicker of light outside his window, at the quietest rustle of sheets, even if he was the one doing the rustling. He’d become relatively used to always feeling strung a bit too tight because of this; better to be almost always conscious and capable of fighting off an enemy than asleep and dead.

Consequently, Bucky had woken up (for the seventeenth time during that sleep cycle) just as Steve’s girl was making her way towards the doorway. His muscles, which had clenched up instantaneously ( _INTRUSION_ _INTRUSION_ _INTRUSION)_ relaxed somewhat as she slipped out of the room. He’d shut his eyes, trying to will himself back to that gray blur of almost-sleep, and counted the seconds since she’d left, since he’d shut his eyes again.

At twelve-hundred seconds, he shook his head and forced himself to stand up. There’d be no more sleep tonight. Or, well, that morning, as the time on the screen beeped quietly, signaling the eight o’clock hour.

_Coffee it is._

He’d quickly slipped his way out of the room and was padding on quiet feet towards the kitchen when he heard it.

_“Needless to say, I keep her in check, she was all bad-bad, nevertheless -”_

Frowning, he rounded the corner into the large communal space and froze.

Barbara, her hair on top of her head in a haphazard-looking updo, was bouncing around the kitchen, pulling out stacks of bowls and various powdery-ingredients. She was singing along with the music, nodding her head in time with the beat.

_“Callin' it quits now, baby, I'm a wreck_ _-“_

_“_ Good morning, Sergeant Barnes,” that girl voice – FRIDAY – spoke up from the walls. Barbara jumped at the sound and whirled around.

“Bucky! Hi! Good morning!” She greeted him, a sheepish grin on her face.

Bucky just smirked in reply, nodding in her direction. “Mornin’.”

“Oh my God, did I wake you up? I’m so sorry -”

“Nah. Couldn’t sleep, wanted some coffee.”

“Oh, okay.” She paused before tilting her head to the side, examining him. Something prickled at the back of his neck as she looked, and he tensed up at her gaze. She must have found whatever she was looking for, because she nodded to herself and raised her eyes to meet his. “How about this; you be my sous-chef, and I’ll make you whatever sort of caffeinated beverage you want.”

He nodded before he could give himself the chance to refuse. “Deal.”

\--

_“You stick out of the crowd, baby, it's a no-brainer -”_

_“_ What is this?”

“A survey of current pop hits, Sergeant Barnes.”

“You like this stuff?”

“Yeah, it’s happy! Makes you wanna dance around, you know?”

“No.”

“What? This music doesn’t make you want to dance? At all?”

“No.”

“Do you dance?”

“Been doing the polka since I was a baby.”

“The polka?”

“What’s wrong with the polka? You ever try it?”

“The polka? No, of course not -”

“FRIDAY?”

“Right away, Sergeant.”

\--

“And dip!” Barbara threw her head backwards, falling back against Bucky’s arm with a laugh. 

“I don’t remember polkas having that much choreography,” Steve’s voice echoed throughout the room.

Bucky pulled Barbara back up to her feet, shooting a roguish wink in Steve’s direction. “That’s because you weren’t doing it right, Mister Two-Left-Feet.”

"Hey!”

“Steve did a great job when we went swing-dancing,” Barbara defended him, stepping quickly over to his side. She pressed a quick kiss on his cheek before pulling away. “Good morning!”

“Good morning,” he replied with a small smile, brushing his fingers against her cheek.

“Miss Gordon, the souffles are ready to be removed from the oven -”

“Oh!” Barbara flew out of Steve’s arms and ran back across the kitchen. “Bucky, can you hand me the mitts -”

“No worries, Red, I’ve got it -”

“But I have to put them on the cooling plate -”

“I told you, Red, I got it -”

“Should you be sticking your metal arm in the oven -”

“Safer than you getting a second-degree burn -”

“Bucky’s got it,” Steve chimed in. Barbara groaned, but stepped back, allowing for Bucky to take out the seven souffles from the industrial-sized oven and place them on the heating racks. “Did you make all this?”

“Yep! Bucky helped.”

“I handed her ingredients.”

“And it was very helpful! Speaking of help, Steve, are the others awake?”

“If they weren’t before, they are now.”

“Perfect, I’ll grab the crepe mix -”

“I can do that.”

“Bucky, it’s fine -”

“Pan fires from flipping pancakes occur with a 0.13% frequency. I’ll handle this.”

“Are you serious?!”

“You can start making coffee. But Steve’s handling it once it gets too hot.”

“WHAT?!”

\--

Brunch was an overall success. Despite Bucky’s strangely insistent mother-henning, and the fact that Steve now looked at the espresso machine in the corner of the kitchen like it was going to come alive and pour gallons of steaming espresso on top of Barbara’s unsuspecting head if he so much as blinked, it went off without a hitch. Darcy proposed marriage, Clint whimpered over his tower of crepes, and Tony only tried to have Barbara sign an electronic copy of an adoption waiver four times before Pepper threatened to take away his oversized coffee mug. Sam and Natasha volunteered for clean-up duty, and Barbara was herded out of the kitchen by an overzealous God of Thunder and into the building’s largest training gym, which was how Barbara found herself wrestling said God of Thunder while Tony, Jane and Bruce huddled behind a portable computer station. The rest of the team, sans Pepper, were sitting on the wall by the scientists, watching the fight. Steve had flushed bright red at the sight of Barbara in nothing but leggings and a sports bra, but his embarrassment was soon forgotten as she continued to successfully take down Thor.

For all of his strength, Thor didn’t have any sort of tactical or martial arts training, so Barbara was wiping the floor with him. She was able to match his punches hit for hit, leading to several holes in the far wall of the gym, as well as the small circular piece of shattered floor that Thor had damaged when Barbara had thrown him across the room.

“Are you seeing the energy readings -”

“ - absolutely incredible -”

“ - shouldn’t be capable of holding that much kinetic energy without a meltdown, but her body is somehow containing it, even as it recharges and reshapes -”

“I, for one, am incredibly aroused.”

Steve punched Clint in the shoulder.

_“_ When do we get to see her fight the Hulk?”

“Absolutely not -”

“ - terrible idea, Darcy -”

“As soon as possible.”

Jane punched Tony in the shoulder.

"All right, I'm calling it!” Bruce shouted. Barbara relaxed instantaneously, dropping Thor out of a chokehold. Thor turned around and swept Barbara up into a large hug, booming with laughter.

“Well met, Lady Valkyrie! It has been far too long since I have had a worthy opponent!”

“Thanks, Thor,” Barbara grinned back, her eyes glowing bright purple.

“On my next visit to Asgard, I will ask the Lady Sif to accompany me for a visit. You would do well to work with her.”

“Aww, yes, Sif!” Darcy shouted.

“Just as long as you don’t bring Fandral,” Jane contributed loudly. “That guy’s a walking sexual harassment lawsuit waiting to happen.”

“And we should know, we live with Tony.”

“Et tu, Bruce?”

Thor held out his hand towards Vision. “Friend, come here. We have tested her strength of body, but now we must test her strength of will.”

Barbara panted and shot Vision a wary look as he floated over. “I’m not sure about this.”

“That is quite all right, Miss Gordon. We will learn together. Should anything happen, Wanda will be nearby to assist.” Both turned to look at Wanda, who waved supportively back at them.

“All right, Thor, we’re waiting until you get clear,” Tony called from behind the computer. Grinning, Thor clapped both Barbara and Vision on the back before racing over towards the far wall.

“On my mark!”

The yellow stone in Vision’s forehead began to glow. Barbara shut her eyes, focusing down on her body, on the movement of the air in her lungs, of the blood in her veins, of the firing of her synapses as energy began racing up and down her spine -

She opened her eyes, and her hands were glowing.

“Go!”

They lunged, and yellow light met purple.

\--

Vision and Barbara fought for about twenty minutes, each trying to catch the other unawares with a blast of cosmic force. They’d finally called it quits after Barbara forced Vision into sawing the basketball hoop in half, but thankfully, Tony was too excited about the “possibilities of her raw kinetic output” than the money it would take to fix up the gym.

Instead of tiring Barbara out, her sparring session had re-invigorated her (probably due to the now amped up energy running through her veins). She’d been able to talk Steve into a run, and so the two made their way towards Central Park, accompanied by Bucky and Sam. And this time, it wasn’t Steve who was lapping around the others; it was Steve who was being lapped.

“On your left!” Barbara raced by in a purple blur. Steve gritted his teeth, ignoring the jeers of Sam and Bucky, who had stopped running half an hour ago and were instead seated on a bench by the pond, cheering Barbara on.

“On your left!” She swooped by again, Steve barely stepping out of the way.

“See?! That’s how it feels!”

Steve shut his eyes and counted.  _Three, two_ -

“On your -”

Swinging his arm out, he caught Barbara around the waist and spun her to a stop. She shrieked, wriggling in his grasp, and he didn’t fight the grin of victory on his face when he finally secured her mouth in a kiss.

“Gross.”

“You’re telling me, pal.”

Steve delicately flipped his friends off, sending them into another round of hysterics.

Steve didn’t care.

He just smiled, and kissed his girl some more.

\--

Steve was shuddering.

Barbara paused, popcorn midway into her mouth. She turned to look at him. “Steve? You all right?”

He blew his nose into a handkerchief in response.

Frowning, Barbara turned her attention back towards the screen. “Maybe  _West Side Story_  wasn’t such a good idea.”

He just nodded in reply. Barbara pressed a buttery kiss to his cheek.

“Something animated next time, then.”

“Yes, please,” Clint's voice called out from the vents.

\--

“You take good care of them, gorgeous.”

Barbara smiled, pressing a quick kiss to Sam’s cheek. “Of course.”

“Good. Someone needs to.” He shot a wink at Bucky and Steve. “Stay safe, you hear?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I make no promises.”

“Bucky, smack him if he gets too sassy.”

“The job I was born to do.”

\--

“What are you two doing?”

Wanda and Barbara practically levitated off of the couch as Jane stalked into the room. Wanda was holding a ball of red light in her hands, but the light was darker than usual.

Jane peered closer. “Is that -”

Barbara nodded excitedly.

The scientist’s eyes grew wide. “But that means -”

“She can catch and release it at will.”

“To the lab. NOW.”

\--

“When I say go, throw it at the tower of take-out boxes.”

Wanda nodded confidently. “Just say when.”

Tony ducked back behind the computer, typing something into the keyboard. “Okay, and – NOW!”

Wanda threw the ball of energy at the take-out boxes, and the boxes exploded into purple dust on impact. 

“YES!” Barbara threw her hand up in the air, high-fiving a grinning Wanda. “That. Was. Awesome!”

\--

“So, to recap, Wanda can contain bursts of Barbara’s energy within her force fields and propel it towards other objects,” Steve spoke slowly. 

Tony nodded excitedly. “It was incredible, the read-outs were spiking like crazy!”

Steve was silent for a moment before turning to face the two redheads. “What are your thoughts on partnering up? Wanda, we’ll still have your primary designation with Vision, but should the opportunity present itself -”

Wanda shot Barbara a smile. “I’d love that.”

\--

“ _Ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind.”_

Stitch nodded confidently at the tall, gray alien, and Steve hiccupped, tears streaming down his face. “Can - can you pass me – a – tissue?”

Clint nodded, throwing his own used tissue onto the slowly growing mountain on the floor. He passed the box past Darcy, who was breathing in shaky breaths, and handed it to Steve, who ended up pulling out the last of the Kleenex. Blowing his nose, he threw the tissue onto the pile and laid his head on Barbara’s lap. Barbara turned to look at Bucky, who was studiously avoiding her gaze.

“Bucky? Are you crying?”

“No.”

\--

“Barbie, you’re just in time!” Tony, dressed in a black Armani suit, waved her over as she stepped into the Tower's SHIELD-and-other-visitors-that-have-permission-to-see-the-Tower-and-chill-with-the-Avengers meeting room (name in progress). She’d been at brunch with Wade and Peter, having rushed back as soon as Tony’s “Assemble!” text came through. He was standing in front of a group of about ten visitors, all dressed in variations of black suits. “Prince T’Challa, I would like you to meet Barbara Gordon. Barbara, this is Prince T’Challa of Wakanda. He’s the UN’s liaison to the Avengers.”

“It is an honor to meet you, Miss,” the handsome prince replied, bowing deeply. 

“And you, Prince T’Challa,” she replied, sweeping into a curtsy. “And please, call me Barbara.”

Tony gaped at her. “I’m sorry, did you just -”

“Then you must call me T’Challa.”

“And you must call me Okoye, and I must remind you not to flirt with the alien,” the beautiful, imposing woman on T’Challa’s left hissed at him.

“A pleasure to meet you, Okoye. And I’m not an alien, I just have alien tech in my spine. Sort of. It’s complicated.”

“Alien tech?” A petite girl popped out from behind T’Challa. “Can I see?”

“Shuri,” the prince said, turning to admonish her, “it is not polite to -”

“Oh, I don’t mind,” Barbara grinned at the girl. “Barbara Gordon, nice to meet you Shuri.”

“That’s Princess Shuri,” Okoye replied coolly, eying Barbara with suspicion.

“Ugh, just call me Shuri,” the girl said, ignoring her brother’s attempts to quiet down. “So can I see the tech?”

“I can do you one better,” Barbara motioned for the girl to follow her. “I can show you the lab.”

\--

Shuri, Barbara found out, was a genius in her own right. She’d immediately started picking holes in the now Tony-Stark-Approved-Backstory-for-Barbara's-Purple-Gem-Thing, and before long Shuri was prattling off with Jane about wormholes and alternate dimensions.

“How old is she again?” Darcy asked lowly, watching as the pair began scrawling notation across the whiteboard.

“Fifteen!” Barbara said incredulously. “She might be the smartest person I’ve ever met.”

“Don’t tell Tony, he already has a complex.”

\--

“And if you ever want to move to America, I’ve got a job with your name on it -”

“Tony, please stop trying to hire the underage princess of a sovereign nation during our diplomatic meeting -”

“If I did, I want Dummy as my lab assistant.”

“SHURI -”

“Deal.”

“TONY!”

\--

When Steve cried, he’d usually end up dampening the shoulders of his shirt.

When Darcy cried, she’d loudly hiccup-sob and try to talk through her feelings at the same time.

But when Thor cried, downtown New York City flooded.

“ _Copper, you’re my very best friend.”_

Thor  _sobbed_ , big tears rolling down his face. “Tod - Tod is a – a – noble – fox -”

“I think you mean  _was.”_

That set Thor off again. This time, however, he was joined by Steve, Clint, Darcy, Bucky (who had given up all pretense of crying when Chief was hit by the train), and Jane. 

Barbara, arms full of sobbing supersoldiers turned around and glared at Tony. “This is all your fault.”

“Yeah,” he winced as Thor squeezed him tighter, completely wrapped in the god’s tearful embrace. “Definitely not my best idea.”

\--

“What if we try dissecting the remaining polymer?”

“Wouldn’t that just destabilize the fabric’s integrity -”

“ - optimal movement, might be worth it -”

“ - complete rework of the upper body, that could potentially - “

“Ahem.”

Barbara, Tony, Bruce and Jane whirled around at the sound. Bucky was standing there, flanked by Steve, who had a surprisingly stern and disappointed look on his face.

“How long have you four been in this lab?”

“Too long,” Darcy moaned from her slumped over position at Jane’s desk.

“It hasn’t -”

“ - in the middle of -”

“Seventeen hours, sir.”

“FRIDAY! How could you?”

“Miss Gordon has been here for eighteen.”

“A.L.F.R.E.D.!”

Bucky’s eyes narrowed further. In two quick steps he was across the lab, swinging a protesting Barbara up into his arms. “Protein, then sleep.”

“Wait, no, Bucky, just put me down -”

“PROTEIN. THEN SLEEP.”

“BUUCCCCKKKKKKKYYYYYYYYYYYY -”

“Come along quietly, and Steve will sleep with you.”

Barbara immediately fell silent, shooting a quick wink at a now blushing Steve.

“That’s what I thought.”

\--

“This was a much better idea,” Barbara remarked, tossing a piece of caramel popcorn into her mouth.

“Of course it was, it was Natasha’s idea,” Clint replied with a snort.

“ _The Fox and the Hound_? Really, Tony?”

“What? It’s just a movie!”

Pepper kicked him hard in the shin. Tony winced, but didn’t make any more protest.

Barbara leaned over to Wade. “Who’s the family of redheads?”

“The Weasleys.” Wade’s voice was muffled by the mounds of popcorn he was shoving into his face.

“Didn’t you call me a Weasley?”

“When we first met,” he sighed, squishing his still chewing-mouth against her face. “My little Ginny Weasley!”

“Ginny?”

“Oh, yeah, Red is totally a Gryffindor.”

“No way, with her brains? Ravenclaw for sure!”

“She’s like Hermione, though, and Hermione was a Gryffindor!”

“There’s only one way to find out,” Darcy shouted, upsetting the popcorn bowl that had been delicately balancing on Bruce’s knees. “Someone pause the movie, we’re doing this.”

“Right now?”

“Yes, right now!”

\--

“I can’t believe none of you have taken this before,” Darcy groaned, her fingers flying over the keyboard. “This might take a while.”

“Please,” Natasha rolled her eyes, “I know exactly where everyone would be placed.”

Tony snorted. “I doubt it.”

Natasha’s eyes got a strange gleam. “Clint, write this down.”

“You got it boss!” He said, pulling a notepad out of – one of the vents? - and orienting himself next to Natasha on the couch.

“Steve,” Natasha began, pointing at the blonde supersoldier. “Gryffindor, hands down. Stark, Ravenclaw. Pepper, Slytherin.”

“What?”

“Really?”

“Bruce, Ravenclaw. Darcy, Hufflepuff. Jane, Ravenclaw. Thor, Gryffindor. Barnes,” Natasha paused, quirking her head at Bucky. “Hufflepuff.”

“WHAT?”

“There’s no fucking way. There’s no fucking way!”

“Clint, Hufflepuff. Peter and Wade, both in Hufflepuff -”

“Aww, man.”

“Sorry baby boy, it’s canon!”

“Barbara, Gryffindor. Wanda, Slytherin. Vision, Ravenclaw.” Natasha leaned back against the couch with a smirk. “Just you wait.”

\--

The room was silent.

Tony, Bruce, Jane and Darcy were looking at Natasha with expressions that looked somewhat like fear. Thor still looked a little confused, Pepper looked thoroughly vindicated, Vision, Peter and Wanda looked completely impressed, and Steve, Clint, and Bucky looked entirely unaffected. They weren’t surprised in the least. Wade looked – well, Barbara couldn’t always tell what expression he had on under his mask, but if she had to guess, then she’d say Wade looked aroused.

(She’d be right.)

“How the hell did you know that?!” Tony’s voice squeaked out.

Natasha's predictions had been right. Every. Single. One.

“Because,” she replied with a smirk, hands flying over the keyboard. “I’m a Ravenclaw.” She tapped a button and turned around the screen, “Welcome to Ravenclaw!” emblazoned on the top.

Tony whimpered in reply.

\--

“I still can’t believe you knew all that!” Darcy shouted across the table. The girls – Darcy, Jane, Barbara, Pepper, Natasha, Wanda, and Susan Storm – plus Wade were at Girl’s Night once again, slurping down very large margaritas.

“I can,” Pepper giggled, her face flushed bright red. “Natasha’s a genius!”

Jane was explaining the situation, at length, to Sue, who looked entirely amused by the whole thing. Darcy was preaching to Wanda something about “the finer points of tequila”, and Barbara and Wade were currently working through their second plate of nachos.

“How’re things with you and Peter?”

“Good! What about you and Steve?”

“Really good!”

“Oh, really good, huh?”

Barbara flicked a chip at Wade, a bright blush on her face. “Not that good. Not yet.”

“He’s taking it slow, then. Good. Then I won’t have to kill him.”

“WaaaAAAADDDDDEEEEEE -”

“Aww, c’mon, what’s some light maiming between friends?”

She just laughed, fondly wiping the chip off of Wade’s mask. “I’m so glad we’re friends.”

He beamed between bites of melted cheese. “Me too, Weaselette. Me too.”

-

“See, this is what I’m saying! Slytherin is obviously the most dangerous house, they put a basilisk in the castle -”

“ - which is killed by a twelve-year-old from GRYFFINDOR -”

“ - Steve, I love you, but stop talking -”

“ - aww, c’mon Pepper, we both know it’s not true -”

“ - it’s gotta be Ravenclaw. They’re the smart ones, they know where to hide the bodies -”

“When it’s a Hufflepuff, there isn’t even a body left.”

The group stopped arguing and turned to look at Bucky, who was smirking to himself as he watched the screen.

“Well, that’s fucking unsettling.”

“It’s true. Hufflepuffs get shit done!” Darcy high-fived Bucky, who threw a piece of popcorn into her mouth in response.

“I hate to disagree, Lady Darcy, but the young man from Gryffindor is clearly the hero of the series -”

“ - yeah, and what important wizards came out of Hufflepuff, hmm?”

“Says the guy in RAVENCLAW -”

“BARTON, YOU TAKE THAT BACK RIGHT NOW!”

\--

“You don’t have to walk me back, you know,” Barbara teased Steve. They’d just finished watching  _Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire_ a few minutes earlier, opting out of the gang’s still spirited conversation about which Hogwarts house posed the most dangerous threat.

Steve flushed, but held the elevator door open for her anyways. “I just like to.”

“I know,” she said, smiling softly up at him. “I like it too.”

His face pulled into a smile, but his eyes were still focused on the ground, a blush still on his cheek. He wrapped an arm around her in response, and Barbara shut her eyes, breathing in his warm, calm scent.

“You going to be okay tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” she nodded into his chest. “I’ve got you.” Frowning, she peered up at him. “Are you going to be okay?”

“I - uh – yeah, I mean, I’ve just – I've never had to meet a girl’s dad. Before.” Steve still didn’t meet her eyes.

Sighing, Barbara squirmed her way out of Steve’s arm, placing her hands onto his cheeks, focusing his face directly on hers. “Hey. Try not to worry about it, okay? He’s going to love you.”

_Just like I do._

Steve finally, finally met her eyes, and when he smiled, his eyes did too. And as he pulled her into a kiss, she forced all of that thought, that feeling, out of her body and towards him. 

It wasn’t the right time for that. Not yet. 

But soon.

And she was so, so glad that it was him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bucky Barnes is going to mother hen Barbara for the rest of her life. I can't control these things, they just happen.


	32. My Little Girl

_Five months._

_Five months, seventeen days._

_Five months, seventeen days, four hours._

_Five months, seventeen days, four hours, nine minutes._

_Five months, seventeen days, four hours, nine minutes and thirty-two seconds._

_Five months, seventeen days, four hours, nine minutes and thirty-t_ _hree_ _seconds._

_Five months, seventeen days, four hours, nine minutes and thirty-_ _four_ _seconds._

_Five months, seventeen days, four hours, nine minutes and thirty-_ _five -_

Pounding on the door interrupts his litany. “Jim.”

He shakes it off.  _Five months, seventeen days, four hours, nine minutes and thirty-_ _seven_ _-_

_“_ Jim, it’s Barry. Barry Allen. We need to talk.”

_Five months, seventeen days, four hours -_

_“_ Either you open the door or I break it down.”

Jim’s eyes fly open with a growl. He looks at the time on the small, grimy clock sitting on top of his dusty stove.  _6:37 A.M._

He pushes himself back from his trash-covered kitchen-table, relishing in the screech as the wood scrapes against the ground. “Whatever this is, Barry Allen, it better be fucking worth it -”

He makes these threats all the way to the door, pushing them to a crescendo just as he pulls the door open.

It’s Barry. Just like he said it was.

It’s Barry, and he’s standing there with a duffel bag slung across his shoulders.

“Are you ready?”

“Ready? Ready for what?”

“Your vacation.”

“I told the Mayor I didn’t want to take time off -”

“Too bad, I accepted it for you.”

Jim feels the muscles in his forehead clench. “You did what?”

There’s a second bag behind Barry’s feet. It’s empty. 

Barry grabs it and tosses it at Jim, who bats it away. “It’s time to pack.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Either you pack, or I pack for you.”

“Like hell you are.”

“Fine.” Barry drops his duffel onto the ground, his eyebrows narrowing at Jim. “I’ll pack.”

-And then there’s a gust of wind, and Barry’s not there, but then the gust is back, and he’s standing there again, but this time with two full duffel bags in his hands.

Something snaps in Jim’s brain.

“What the -”

Barry grabs hold of his arm and pulls him out of the apartment. “Don’t worry, I’ll lock up.”

Something stirs in Jim’s peripheral vision. He whirls around in time to see a man step out of the shadows, his face illuminated by the light of the embers on his cigarette. “You tell him?”

“Not yet.”

The man snorts, and he shakes his head. Ashes fall on the ground, and Jim fights the urge to snap at him for it.

“Well, you know what they say. Seeing is believing and all that.”

Jim frowns, turning back to Barry. “What in the hell -”

“I’ll explain everything. I promise,” he says, grabbing hold of Jim by the waist. “Ready.”

Jim turns around to look at the other man, just in time for him to see something in the man’s hands begin to glow, and then the glow becomes a light, and the light becomes a fire, and he’s pushing the fire towards Barry, towards Jim - 

And then it’s dark - 

And then it’s too, too bright - 

And Jim opens his eyes.

\--

Steve left, and Barbara didn’t sleep.

_She tried to, of course. Tossing and turning for almost four hours, always on the verge of falling asleep, and then something in her head reminds her that it’s only a few hours until her dad steps through one of_ _Strange’s_ _portals and she’s wide awake again._

Groaning, Barbara forced her eyes open, squinting at the clock on her nightstand.  _5:42 A.M._

_“_ Good morning, Miss Gordon.”

“Mornin’, A.L.F.R.E.D.”

_For once, A.L.F.R.E.D. doesn’t know what to say next. Her apartment is silent as she makes her way to her small kitchenette, and she thinks – no, knows – that he wants to say something, but what can you possibly say in a situation like this?_

So she makes herself a cup of coffee, grabs her Captain America comforter and cuddles up on the couch, waiting for Stephen Strange to portal through. 

It feels like it’s only been minutes, by the time he does arrive, but the sun’s position in the sky and the time on her wall clock tells her otherwise. He steps quietly into her living room, and she shakily rises to her feet.  _“_ You ready?” Strange’s face is blank, but there is a light of concern in his eyes.

_No. Not at all. “_ As ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Good, because it’s time.” Strange shuts his eyes, and the light in his hands begins to spin - 

And he throws the light against the wall, and a large, dark circle appears, and a giant gust of wind comes sweeping out of the circle - 

And Barbara blinks.

And when she opens her eyes, Barry is standing there. And next to Barry, blinking owlishly at his surroundings, is her father.

\--

Gasping, Jim forced his eyes open. “Barry Allen, you need to explain -”

The dingy hallway of his apartment building has disappeared. The natural light streaming in through the windows causes him to blink rapidly. “What the -”

The brightness finally fades away, and is replaced by a figure.

A figure with long, red hair.

Jim blinks rapidly. Then, squints.

It’s a woman.

A young woman.

A young woman with long red hair.

A young woman with long red hair and -

With Barbara’s face.

\--

Emotions flash across her dad’s face so quickly that Barbara doesn’t get a chance to say anything. “What sort of sick hell is this?”

Jumping forward, Barry grabs hold of Jim’s shoulder. “Jim, please, listen to me -”

“Dad.”

The pair quiets down almost immediately. Barbara steps closer.

His normally well-kept hair is in complete disarray. The salt-and-pepper stubble on his face is longer than usual, and the dark circles under his eyes are completely new. He looks thinner since the last time she saw him, like his clothes don’t cling to him in quite the same way. They’re slightly stained, most likely with coffee, and he’s not even wearing shoes.

But his bright blue eyes are exactly the same as she remembers, and something inside her crumples.

“Dad,” she murmurs again, tears spilling down her cheeks.

Something inside his eyes lights up, and suddenly he’s racing towards her, and Barbara doesn’t realize that she’s moved until she’s throwing herself into his arms. He catches her, and his arms are just as strong as they once were, when he’d throw her up into the air in celebration for reciting the alphabet.

“Dad,” she sobs into his shoulder.

“Barbara,” he murmurs quickly before pulling back. His eyes run over her face, her eyes, her tears. “Barbara?”

Nodding, Barbara forces herself to smile, in spite of the tears running in rivulets on her cheeks. “It’s me.”

Something snaps again, and suddenly she’s back in his arms, and his hands are running across her back, and he’s murmuring something that sounds like a prayer -

And she meets Barry’s eyes, and he’s smiling at her, beaming, like a weight has been lifted off of his shoulders, and she mouths the words “thank you” to him.

Barry nods, and Barbara tightens her grip on her father, and she too smiles, in spite of the tears.

_Now her family is all here._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is more like a "half-chapter" than an actual chapter; it's setting up the next post. And once Jim's visit is over, we're heading into the endgame, people!
> 
> I see your comments, I read your comments, I love your comments and I love you. Happiest of New Years to you all, you bring such joy to my life <3


End file.
